Concealed love
by Tripower
Summary: Setsuna Meioh lived the life she was destined to, a fearless warrior defending the universe, but was that all she'll ever be? Wondering if love will ever knock at her door, Sailor Pluto will encounter a new enemy and perhaps a new love. Yuri.
1. A new threat?

I don't own Sailor Moon, but the OCs is mine.

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><p>CHAPTER 1: A new threat?<p>

_No way! Setsuna Meioh, guardian of time, looked at her friend Haruka Tenoh, giving up her book to show her how exasperated she was. _

_Come on Sets-chan! It will be fun" _

"_No! I won't come with you and Michiru to this bar!" The olive skin woman resumed then the difficult task of reading her book: theoretical physics. And Haruka's presence in the room didn't help her. The said blond sighed deeply wondering why her friend was so stubborn. _

"_Oh yes you will do come with us" And suddenly, she grabbed Setsuna's book. _

"_Haruka! I need to read that by tomorrow! So give it back!"_

"_I'll give it back to you, but only after you go out with us"_

_Setsuna tried to keep her cool, annoyed by the blonde's childish attitude. But after a moment, she sighed. She knew that Haruka could be as stubborn as herself and right now she had the upper hand by taking in hostage her book. _

"_Okay, I'll come with you, but I have nothing to wear…"_

"_No problem!" Setsuna, surprised, turned to the entrance, shortly followed by Haruka, a smile on her face. At the door was Michiru Kaioh, carrying two shopping bags in her hands._

"_Here everything you need to be perfect tonight!"_

"_Michiru? No! You too…and you planned everything!" _

"_I'm sorry to tell you Suna, but Haruka is right. You spend too much time at home and not enough outside."_

_Regretting her choice, Setsuna attempted a new tentative to escape both of her friends._

"_And what about Hotaru? If you go out, someone has to take care of her…"_

"_No escape Suna, Hotaru is at Chibi-usa's house. We are all alone." Michiru said, leaving the room, Haruka with her. "Get dressed, we'll be waiting for you outside."_

And so Setsuna ended up in this famous bar, called "Maloya", sipping her drink, and watching musicians playing on stage. For a long time, Michiru had wanted to go to this bar because of the possibility, for anyone who wanted, to perform on stage. Setsuna and Haruka didn't understand why the violinist insisted so much in performing here when she could have the world (and it's not an understatement) at her feet with her music. But the only answer the aqua haired girl would always give was: "Because here I'm sure to be listened" And indeed, every musician could play freely, amateurs as well than professionals. Most people in the Maloya were passionate people who enjoyed the music and not some people who came to be trendy. No one would be opposed, because here the watchword was "Have fun first" Surprisingly, The more time was passing and the more the guardian of time had to admit: she was having fun – the dim room, the table lit by a candle and the music – actually she felt at ease here with her friend by her side. Maybe they were right; she should leave her room more often after all. All of sudden, Michiru stood up.

"What's wrong Michiru? Setsuna said surprised.

"I can't resist anymore"

"What…?"

But the dark green haired woman was interrupted by Haruka's laughter. And it was only after seeing Michiru's eyes that she understood finally. They were burning with passion and force. It was rare to see the sea nymph like this (only Haruka could do this and was proud of it). Setsuna knew what that meant "_I want to play_" She chuckled, remembering that before coming here, Michiru promised herself that she would play only at the very end. It has been only an hour since their arrival. It seems that the call of the violin is stronger. So in an instant, the aqua haired girl was on stage, her Stradivarius, the "Marine Cathedral" in her hands. The room was suddenly quiet. No surprise. Even the less cultivate man in Japan had heard once is his life about Michiru Kaioh, violinist, painter, great swimmer and Haruka Tenoh's lover. So in a bar like this, every customer couldn't dream better than having her presence in the premises. Slowly Michiru lifted her bow and started playing. And so the magic of Michiru's song began. Even after living with the couple for three years, Setsuna was still awed by the magnificent of her songs. This one was a simple and joyous one. The fast pace of the music showed how excited she was. She was playing with so much passion that no one dared to make any sound, afraid to break the spell of the violinist's magic. But there was no need for that. Setsuna had spent enough time with the shorter girl to know that even a bomb couldn't stop her when she was like that. She was in her own world, alone. No one was inside but her.

Suddenly, Haruka stood up also. "She is off in her world again" She smirked before leaving Setsuna. She walked toward the stage, sat behind the piano of the bar and started playing also. If the song was astonishing, right now it was breathtaking. If the beauty of music could kill people, there would have been practically the entire room in paradise then. Piano and violin were in harmony, keeping the same fast pace as they were playing with each other, a question-answer play. No one had the upper hand on the other; every note seemed so natural in the song. But what stroke the most Setsuna was Michiru's smile when Haruka had started playing. It was a small smile, but a genuine one. Michiru would show it to only one person: Haruka (and her family too, but again, it was different, a more compassionate one). It meant that Michiru sensed Haruka's presence behind her and had let her in her world. She was ignoring everyone in the room but Haruka. Setsuna's chest tightened at the scene and decided to go for a walk.

Outside, standing near the entrance, Setsuna looked at the stars, thinking. She didn't hate her friends; in contrary they were the most important people in her life. They were her family. A year had passed since the defeat of Galaxia and now all the senshis were enjoying a peaceful life. And the time guardian was more than happy to see Haruka and Michiru finally able to love each other with no worries, after all those years of fighting, and in every sense of the term (which was problematic when a little daughter was involved). But she couldn't deny that sometimes she was envious of their love, the connection they had. Even reborn to be with her friends, she felt alone and often dreamed of this person who would love her and hold her every day. Perhaps she would stay the lone senshi after all.

"Sumimasen"

Red eyes turned to where the sound came from. Lost in her thoughts, Setsuna didn't notice the person who has been trying to talk to her for at least five minutes. The man, she assumed, was taller than her, and wore a large dark cloak, hiding his face. He had a backpack in his right hand and a piece of paper in the other. Normally, people would have been afraid and would find an excuse to avoid the dark figure. But Setsuna sensed no danger from this man.

"Oh sorry, I was lost in my thoughts"

"Oh don't worry. I'll be really insane if I don't wait for a so gorgeous woman to talk to me"

Usually, Setsuna would leave immediately after such a comment. She hated people who flirted with her. But this time, she blushed deeply at this comment.

"H…H…How can I help you?"

"Could you show me how to get to this address?" The man showed her a map and an address written in a piece of paper.

"Sure, take this road, and it's the second street on the left."

"Arigatou"

The man bowed deeply, said goodbye and left. Setsuna watched him, curious and intrigued by him. She hardly saw him turning around the corner when all her senses were in alert. She got tensed. At the same time, Haruka and Michiru suddenly appeared behind her too, wearing the same serious face. Both of them too had perceived the same threat. And without a word, the left the bar and ran toward where they sensed the danger

A youma.

-X-

Even if Galaxia was defeated and there was no major threat anymore, it didn't mean that peace was back completely. Stray youma still wandered through the city. And it was the senshis' duties to protect the city as usual. Sad reality that even if their worst enemy disappeared, they still had to fight.

Uranus, Neptune and Pluto reached their destination quickly after the alert. Even at peacetime, they never let their guard down, while enjoying life. After all, it was their duty to protect their world and princess at any cost. An apartment on fire welcomed their arrival. It was a modern two-stories flat, situated in a popular district. At this time of the night, hopefully, there weren't so much people. But the firemen were not here yet. Immediately, Neptune launched her attack, Deep Submerge, at the apartment to put out the flames. But soon after the water extinguished the fire, new flames appeared, surprising the Outers. Water was useless.

"It must be the youma who is controlling the fire" Uranus deduced.

"We need to find and kill it then" Pluto added.

Then the Outer senshi rushed to the apartment in fire, Uranus leading the way. The place was hot, really hot. The youma did a good job in making a mess. Everything was burning, and the deeper they went into the building, the more difficult it was to breath. Then they stopped suddenly; there was a strange sound. It was really low, the flames hushing up the sounds, but audible enough for the Outer senshis. It was people's cries and screams

"You two, go help the victims, I'm taking care of the youma" Pluto ordered.

"What? No way we'll let you handle the enemy alone" Haruka said.

"Right now, innocents are more important!"

"Pluto…" Michiru tried to persuade her friend.

"No! Go!

Uranus was taken aback by Pluto's reaction. As the leader of the Outer Senshi, she should have made the decisions and handled the youma. But she knew also that when Setsuna was like this, she had to not mess with her. So they split up.

"Uranus" Neptune asked, while running

"Yes?"

"Do you know why Pluto is like this?

"I have really no idea."

-X-

Pluto stopped in time to avoid a falling beam on fire. It was a close call. "Focus, Setsuna, focus!" She said to herself. But she couldn't concentrate, not after having given an order to Uranus and Neptune like that. It was not her place. "Why did I do this?" Even Setsuna couldn't find an answer, an explanation to her action. She was not as strong as Uranus, and Neptune's mirror would have been really helpful to find the youma. So it was madness to try and fight the youma alone. However, Setsuna knew why in the depth of herself she wanted to be alone.

After having guarded the Door of time for ages, she was used to the solitude. Being alone, the only thing she could do was meditating. And through those years of loneliness, she noticed that today she could concentrate only if she was alone. But right now, even without the presence of her friend, she couldn't focus. The image of Haruka and Michiru together at the bar was lingering behind her retina. Usually she was not affected by their behavior (if not, she would have lost her mind a long time ago). But today, she didn't know why it mattered so much. Maybe because of the ambiance in the bar, the music, the stars, she was beginning to feel insecure about her future. It was quite ironic, wasn't it? She, the guardian of time, couldn't foresee her own destiny. She was afraid of what she would become after all these battles. Right now, there were still some stray youmas in the city. But one day, they would kill them all. And after that? What would she do if not fighting? She didn't know. After all this happy moments with her family, she was not sure she could still be alone to guard the Door of time forever. But even here with the other, she felt lonely sometimes. But right now it was not the time to be like this.

Indeed, it was not the time. Especially when the ceiling was falling above her head. Pluto quickly dodged the obstacle, but she didn't predict that the youma she was looking for was following behind, prepared to kill her. The first thing Pluto saw from this youma was enormous dagger like teeth ready to tear her flesh apart. So the guardian of time blocked them with her talisman just in time. A few inches more, and she would have been decapitated. She could smell the fetid breath of the youma. "Oh my, you, youma, don't know what toothbrush and toothpaste are or what?" Pluto said. But the youma was strong, and the dark green haired girl knew that she needed to do something if she didn't want to be killed. So in a move, she succeeded in hitting the youma head with her garnet orb. Confused, the youma stepped back. She took advantage of it to attack with a Dead scream, which hit the enemy. But it seemed useless when rows of flames rushed for her. Then senshi of time threw herself to the side to avoid them.

Quickly she squared up, waiting for the next attack. Finally she could see what the youma looked. It had a feline form, like a tiger, a really enormous tiger, with sharp teeth and strong paws, which can break bones as it they were made out of paper, and long gouts of fire emanated from its body. Both enemies looked at each other in the eyes, waiting for the perfect moment to attack.

Minutes passed, the atmosphere was tensed and heavy. All of a sudden, the tigerlike youma made the first move and assaulted her. The red eyes girl ditched and immediately turned against it, the monster already starting its second assault. Pluto counterattacked by a mid-kick in its side. Again, the monster was taken aback, but it didn't stop it to keep up. Then the fight continued between the time senshi and the youma. The latter was attacking and the former was defending herself and counterattacking when she could. And then she saw it, an opportunity to attack. And immediately she launched a Dead scream at her assailant, which was hurled to the other side of the room. But the victory was short, when the dark green haired girl winced in pain, and fell on her kneels, holding her right arm.

"Maybe it was not a so good idea to fight this youma alone…it hurts like hell…" All over her arms and legs there were burns. "Sometimes I wish I was Neptune"

Setsuna forced a laugh. She tried to stand up, but it was in vain, she couldn't move anymore. But she had to do it, in particular, when the enemy was on its feet again and charged back at her. Again, Pluto used her garnet orb to block the youma. But this time, she was on her back, the youma standing above her. Because of its weight and heat, the guardian of time knew she would not last long, exhausted as she was. But she has to resist and wait for the other. It was a matter of time. However, the great pain she felt on her left arm made the wait impossible. Getting annoyed that it couldn't kill her with its fang, the beast didn't hesitate anymore to use it deadly claws to weaken her. And it worked. Pluto couldn't resist any longer as she let fall her garnet orb, defenseless now in front of the monster. It was the end of the line for her. She closed her eyes.

Nothing.

Red eyes opened. Wondering why she was not dead, Pluto looked around to see what happened. And she saw it. The youma was a few feet away, quite confused, but glaring at someone. A man. The time senshi looked at her savior. He was tall and thin. His spiky short hair was fire like red. A red and black mask hid his face. His tight black jacket with red straps showed how thin he was. Maybe too thin, Setsuna thought. But with a blurred vision caused by exhaustion, she couldn't make the difference between a man and woman. Around his waist, there were ribbons, which served as belts for his black pant. Setsuna was mesmerized by her rescuer, and attracted by his mysteriousness.

"My my, I don't think you know how you should treat a proper lady." The unknown man said.

The youma groaned, not happy to be interrupted and charged toward the man. The latter, calm and quiet waited and when the youma's head was only a few inched from his head, he punched it hard. But the beast didn't say its last word and launched fire to its opponent. But the man only laughed and took the entire attack.

"No!" Pluto shouted. However, she was taken aback when, the dark figure emerged from the flames unscathed. Again, he was laughing as, with a move of his hand, made the flame disappear around him. This time, the youma was pissed off and rushed toward the red haired man.

"Game over" He said slowly.

Without warning, a sword was appearing on his left hand. First appeared the shape of the weapon, and little by little, details, texture were appearing to form a two handed sword. The blade was large and think like a razor. Slowly, the masked man took the blade with two hands and in one movement slaughtered the monster. The attack was simple, fast, in one word perfect.

Shortly after, the body of the youma disappeared along with the flames all over the building. Pluto sighed; happy that everything was all right now, and tried to stand up to thank her savior. But a sharp pain in her body stopped her, and she couldn't prevent a small cry from escaping her lips. The little sound drew the red haired man attention, and quickly was by her side.

"Don't move. You're injured" His voice was surprisingly gentle. With care, he helped her to sit up.

"Who are you?" the Guardian of time asked.

The stranger laughed again. Suddenly the bottom of his mask disappeared, showing his smile.

"Well, I'm…"

But he was interrupted by a voice.

"Pluto, where are you?"

Uranus. Pluto sighed. But she didn't know if it was a sigh of relief to know that her friends would be here soon, and that they were alright, or a sigh of frustration, because her savior didn't say his name and was going to leave. As she was opening her mouth to inform her friends where she was, she suddenly felt the stranger's warm lips on her own. It was a quick peck, but it was long enough for Setsuna to be taken aback by this bold move, and couldn't help blushing. She heard again the man laughing, a laugh that she appreciated more and more.

"A quick good bye kiss. It seems that your friend is here to take care of you. I may leave now, before they think I am the one who did all the mess

The man ran to the window, and was about to leave when suddenly he stopped and made a step to the left to avoid Uranus's space sword blaster.

"Don't move!" the sky senshi shouted.

But the red haired man only smiled before going through the windows. Uranus was going to pursue him when Pluto's voice stopped her in her track.

"No Uranus! He saved me!"

Uranus looked at Pluto, seeing in which state she was. Then looked at the windows again, before letting out a frustrating sigh. She breathed deeply before walking toward Pluto and Neptune, who was by her side now.

"I hope that you didn't make a mistake by letting him go" Haruka said calmly.

"No, I'm sure"

"Who is he?"

"I don't know, he was going to tell me his name when you show up!"

"Are you saying that it's my fault?"

"Of course!"

And before the argument would start, Neptune, amused, interfered.

"I think it's not the time for the childish game."

Uranus and Pluto immediately ceased, and both nodded. Eventually, Uranus carried Pluto in her arms. And they leave the holding, now out of danger.

"Next time Pluto, when you want to go it alone, remember this night" Uranus joked.

Pluto didn't say anything but glared evilly at her, which made both the sky senshi and sea senshi laugh.

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><p>AN: So here it is, my first fic on . I want to thank Feuerknight and Auraluna7 for helping me with this story. I'm normally a big fan of Haruka and Michiru, but recently I learned to love Setsuna, who deserves more love! Anyway, please review X3


	2. Akamen

I don't own Sailor Moon, Teruki Tao belongs Tao, Hail and Rain Tenki belong to Auraluna7

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><p>Chapter 2: Akamen<p>

_She felt his hands caressing her hips slowly. She moaned, unable to resist any longer. It felt so good. She was on her bed, the blanket as only cloth on her, hiding her most intimate part. And next to her, there was the man who saved her life a week ago. Again, he was wearing his red and black mask. She tried to remove his mask, but he stopped her by holding her hand. He laughed._

"_Not yet, you're not ready"_

_Suddenly the bottom of his masked disappeared showing his smile. Then he began to kiss her neck. She shivered at the touch of his warm lips on her skin. He was gentle, taking his time, his hands massaging her breasts now. She gasped for air when his lips found their way down the valley of her breasts, as well as his left hand, which was travelling down, first her belly, then lower and lower. She moaned again. All of sudden unfortunately, a deafening sound put an end at the spell._

"_What the…?" She asked._

"_My my, I think it's time for you to wake up" He replied, amused._

"_What?"_

Setsuna opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the white ceiling of her bedroom; turning her head to her left she spotted the alarm clock ringing. She shut it off, and looked at the ceiling again, her right arm laying on her forehead. A dream? She groaned. She was really frustrated because to one she woke up before he could do anything in this dream, and on the other side, it was not the first time that she had such a dream. It was the third time in fact, and each time, she couldn't see the face of the man and reach the end of her dream, letting a very aroused Setsuna finishing the work alone. Suddenly, she heard Michiru knocking at her door.

"Suna, you need to wake up or you'll be late for school."

College? Ah yes. After her combat with the tiger like youma, Hotaru healed her injuries, but Haruka insisted that she had to rest before attended college again. It has been a week since the fight. And even if she would gladly stayed home, she knew that she had go back to her studies. But first, she needed to take a really cold shower, because right now she didn't have time to finish what her dream had started.

She walked out of her bathroom, a towel around her body, and went to her closet to get dressed. Then, after picking up all her books, Setsuna went downstairs to join the other for the breakfast. When she entered the kitchen, Michiru was already cooking some pancakes, while Haruka was reading the newspaper at the table. On the other side, Hotaru was waiting for her Michiru-mama to finish the breakfast.

"Ah! Setsuna-mama! Ohayo!" Hotaru said happily. Haruka, hearing her daughter, raised her head to looked at Setsuna, a smile appearing on her face.

"Sets-chan. Ohayo. How was your sleep?"

"Good, as usual if we can say so…"

"Good morning Suna." Michiru finally said after pouring some pancake batter in the pan. "Breakfast will be ready soon."

Setsuna nodded before taking a seat between Haruka and Hotaru. The former poured some green tea in her mug. The green haired girl thanked her, and picked up the cup with both hands before sipping slowly. Finally, Michiru came with a plate full of pancakes in her hands. She served everyone, starting with Hotaru and finishing by Haruka, who thanked her with a peck on her lips. Setsuna looked at them, and stayed silent, as she was eating her pancakes. Suddenly, Haruka spoke.

"Sets-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Could you drop Hotaru off at school for us? Michiru and I won't have time to do it today."

"Sure."

"Ah, and Amy-chan called us this morning to find out if we can meet with the others this afternoon to talk about the masked guy who saved you"

"I think there will be no problem. I'll be there. Hime-chan let's go after you finish."

The said girl nodded happily, then finished quickly her last pancake before grabbing her bag. Setsuna finished her breakfast shortly after. She grabbed her car keys and her belongings, before going outside with her daughter by her side, to take the car. Then they drove away from the Outer mansion.

In the kitchen, Michiru was washing the dishes before getting ready for school when she felt two arms around her waist and soft pair of lips on her bare shoulder.

"Haruka…"

"Michiru. Setsuna is acting strangely recently."

"Ara. You noticed it too?"

Indeed, they were aware of Setsuna's silence during the breakfast, when they kissed quickly. They didn't say anything, afraid that she would distant herself more. But even before that, just after the defeat of Galaxia, they remarked her strange behavior: she was distant, silent and often wanted to be alone. Not that she was not like this before, but not that much. It made Haruka and Michiru worried. Setsuna was their friend and part of their family. And after all the events she went through, even the lone guardian of time deserved some happiness.

"Why not organizing a surprise party for her one day?" Haruka suggested.

"You know that she doesn't like surprise parties." Michiru answered after turning towards Haruka.

"I know, but she must cheer up and know that we are here for her, that she is not alone…"

"Haruka. You're so cute" The wind senshi smiled before kissing her sea nymph. Then she spoke between kisses.

"And that's why I want to do something for her"

"Indeed it may be nice, but..." Michiru took Haruka's hands, which were moving down along her waist, in hers. She put an end at the kiss and looked at the blonde who had a puzzled look on her face.

"We'll see that later. Right now, you and I need to go to school, and if you continue like this, we'll be late."

"Then let it be" Haruka joked.

"Move!"

Haruka laughed. But she did what she was told. She grabbed her bag and car keys, waited for Michiru, who was taking her violin, and they left the house as well.

-X-

Tokyo Daigaku, Todai, this national and imperial university of Japan, with its three campus was known as one of the most prestigious universities in the country and even the world. Many were the students who tried to enter this institution, and only a few were accepted. Because of this strict selection, becoming a student of Todai was an honor and a prestige. However, for Setsuna, who passed the exams after long hours of study (Haruka clearly remembered this dark period because of this dark, intense and frightening aura around the guardian of time), prestige and fame were not her goals. She only entered this university because of the quality of its faculties. She didn't have many friends in the university, but it didn't mean she had none. In fact, she might not had an astronomic group of friends, but at least she was very closed to them.

"Setsuna-chan!"

The dark green haired girl, after closing her car, turned to where the call came from. A smile crossed her face when she recognized her friend Mia. She was a tall blonde girl (but shorter than Setsuna), with piercing green eyes. As opposed to Setsuna who studied physics, Mia was a mathematics major student. These details often made their friends laugh, since sometimes mathematician and physicist didn't get along with each other. When the mathematicians studied the abstract science, physicists analyzed concrete data. Also, it was surprising to see how Setsuna, calm and composed, could be friend with an over active girl like Mia. Indeed the blonde girl was energetic and seemed to never be tired and always optimistic. But, maybe it was these difference the basis of such a strong friendship, and not only the similarities. After all, they did have some common grounds; when it concerned studies, no one could stop them until they found the solutions of their problems.

"Ohayo Mia-chan"

"I'm so happy to see you again! I hope that everything is alright now"

"Don't worry, I'm feeling better" Setsuna along with the others had decided to tell people she had been ill the past week.

"You miss a lot of things you know? There is a new student who arrived last week."

"Ah?"

"Yes, I can introduce her to you, if you want, even if she is a mathematics major student like me"

"I'm not sure..."

"Come on, I'm sure you will like her"

Before Setsuna could add anything else, she was dragged by her friend and they headed to the park in front of the main building. When they arrived, Mia looked for the mysterious new student. Setsuna sighed, but smiled at her friend's behavior. She couldn't deny that she had missed her and her smile during the past week. Mia reminded her of Usagi; always full of energy and sensitive, the kind of girl that knew when a friend needed help; her smile could erase all the bad memories of a day and make anyone smile. Suddenly, Mia spotted her, in a hurry she ran towards her, still holding Setsuna's hand.

"Mia-chan! Wait…I…"

But Setsuna didn't have time to finish her sentence when she saw this new student. The first thing she noticed was spiky hair and a smile she knew to well. At this instant, she could feel her heart beating hard in her chest. 'No way!' Unfortunately, the excitation soon faded away when she took the control of her senses and emotions. Even if the haircut was the same, the hair was not red like fire, but black. Finally, the guardian of time remembered Mia's saying, the student was a woman and not a man, unless she was the opposite of Haruka and was in reality a man who dressed like a woman. A huge wave of sadness swept over her, but she didn't show it as she came closer to this student with Mia.

"Rain, Hail, you're here too" The said girl said.

Eventually, the dark green haired girl noticed the two red haired girls who were speaking with the new student. They were Rain and Hail Tenki, inseparable twin sisters. Rain Tenki was the artist, the romantic one. She was as collected as Setsuna; but she didn't lose the sexiness on her face and the warm feeling she embodied. Her sister Hail was the confident but also the more protective one. Her assurance could be seen through her behavior and attitude. Unlike Rain, she was a talented musician. But both attended the same school: Geidai, the university of arts in Tokyo.

In fact, it was Michiru who introduced the twins to Setsuna and Mia. It was during one of her recitals in which she met the twins. She learned that they attended the prestigious school, and couldn't help talking about the guardian of time and her friend who were at Todai, the university next to theirs; that's how they met. What was amazing was that they immediately got along. After all, one of Setsuna's dreams was to be a fashion designer, so she was not ignorant and uninterested about art (especially since she lived with a violinist and a pianist).

"What are you girls doing here?" Setsuna said.

"Oh we just love being the guest stars!" Hail joked.

"In fact, we have a day off today, so we took advantage of it to see our favorite Todai friend…" Rain added, laughing too.

"And, you are the famous new student I missed last week? I'm Setsuna Meioh." The dark green haired girl asked to the third person.

"Indeed, I'm Teruki Tao. And I'm finally able to meet the legendary and gorgeous Meioh Setsuna." Again, Setsuna took a look at the mathematician, who was taller than her. She could see now her dark brown eyes, with a glint of red. She wore black tight pants. Her black shirt was open, and she could see a red T-shirt beneath it. Her clothes reflected in fact the flirtatious attitude she had just witnessed; an attitude she hated the most.

"Nice to meet you too. I see that you know everything about me…"

"Not at all…"

"Then you must know that I don't have time for the flirt especially with someone who seems more interested in seducing the girls here than studying"

Soon after, she gave her the cold shoulder and left. Mia tried to stop her, but the guardian of time was too furious and irritated to listen to her.

"Gomenaisai Teruki-san. Setsuna-chan is really a nice person, but she hates people who try to flirt with her." Mia tried to explain.

"Oh no, I think it's my fault. I shouldn't have done it."

"Maybe she will be less angry for lunch time. So don't hesitate to join us."

"Why not?" Teruki said finally, after thinking.

"Okay then. I need to go, see you later"

"Ja ne"

Mia left, leaving Teruki with the twins.

"Maa, sorry that she bumped you from the beginning, but you know some girls like to play hard to get." Hail said, laughing. She suddenly hissed in pain when her sister slapped the back of her head with a scolding look on her face.

"Interesting." The black haired girl simply whispered.

The twins looked at her in surprise. Then realization dawned at them, and they smiled. Indeed it might be interesting, they thought.

-X-

Setsuna spotted Mia at a table. It was lunchtime, and as usual she would meet her there. So she sat next to her friend and began eating. Finally, after these long hours of lesson, she could rest and enjoy this sunny day outside. But, shortly after starting eating, she noticed that her friend hadn't touched her lunch and was working instead. It was really strange, since Mia never skipped lunch she considered eating the most sacred moment of the day (again, Mia and Usagi had another point in common).

"Mia? You don't..."

"Shhhh wait wait, I almost have it..."

Setsuna didn't understand what was going on but stayed quiet. Suddenly she jumped when she heard her friend scream in despair her hand in the air.

"No!"

"What happened?"

"I can't find the solution to this problem! I have been at it for hours, and I'm always so close but wrong!"

"Maybe, you should eat first, rest a little before resuming..."

"Impossible. I won't fully enjoy my lunch if I still have the problem in my head..."

"You're so complicated..."

"Ah! Teruki-san! We're here!"

Setsuna flinched at the name. 'Not again.' She thought. Even after hours and hours of stress, she was still pissed with the black haired girl. She couldn't stand flirty people. Well, Haruka was perhaps the only exception. After living with her, she got used to it, in addition to Michiru's presence, which was a big help to tame their favorite blonde. Teruki Tao was not one, so she couldn't stand her.

She was like Haruka, with a cocky smile and her assured attitude. However, Setsuna could see the sincerity in her eyes and an aura of warmth and sympathy that surrounded her. She had to admit Teruki was really "handsome". Even if her clothes hid most of her femininity, she noticed her awesome ass, which she felt compelled to grab, to feel how soft it... 'Wait! What are you thinking Setsuna?' She thought, her cheeks reddened.

"Hi Mia-san, Setsuna-san."

Teruki's voice startled her, as she hadn't realized that the black haired girl was facing her seated next to Mia.

"H…hi…"

"Setsuna-san, about this morning, I wanted to say I'm…"

"Teruki-san, I need you help!" Mia interrupted her friends. "I can't resolve this problem! Help me!"

The black haired girl looked at the paper, and took a pen. Setsuna watched her silently. Not even thirty seconds later, Teruki started writing and gave the paper back to Mia.

"There"

"Already? How did you do?"

"You only just had to add a new variable."

"Oh gosh, you're the best."

All of sudden, Mia hugged Teruki tightly as a token of gratitude. Setsuna was still looking at them, really surprised. She didn't expect Teruki to be, in addition of flirtatious, a head in mathematics. She knew that Mia was an excellent student and always at the top. So she couldn't believe that Mia will ask for help from another student.

"I must apologize". Setsuna said to Teruki eventually. The later looked at her, taken aback.

"Wait, it should be me apologizing for my behavior this morning" She replied.

"Oh no, it's my fault. I insinuated that you were a dumb show-off girl, who was here to sleep with all the girls at campus."

"…I see…Well be sure that I'll stop my flirting…"

"You don't have to…"

"I have to, I don't want you to hate me because of this"

"I don't…"

"Don't lie to yourself" The taller girl smiled.

"I don't hate you... anymore" This time Teruki's smile widened, sincerely.

"You know Setsuna-san, next week, Teruki-san will do a lecture about art and mathematics." Mia announced.

"Ah? Are you really only a student, Teruki-san?" Setsuna arched an eyebrow.

"I am. It's just that one of the professors wanted me to present a lecture I did a long time ago. So you can attend it, if you want."

"I'll see…"

Teruki laughed. "Well, I need to go, maybe I'll see you next week." Then, she stood up, said good-bye then left. Setsuna looked at her leaving. Strangely, her presence didn't bother her anymore, in the contrary, she felt relaxed by her side. And she didn't know why but she was glad that Teruki didn't stop talking to her because of her rash behavior.

-X-

She arrived with a bang at the Crown Arcade. She was late, really late. Setsuna sighed in frustration. Normally she should have been on time, if her teacher hadn't stopped her to talk. Certainly, it was very instructive. But, it was problematic when she had talked with him for over half an hour, and now she was ten minutes late for her meeting with the other senshis.

"Setsuna-mama!"

The guardian of time, still at the entrance, turned her head to see Hotaru waving at her. She was with the others at the usual spot. She walked up to meet her. Haruka and Michiru were there too, next to Hotaru. The blond girl was whispering in her girlfriend's ear and judging by the girlfriend's face, it was not an innocent discussion. Next the to them, Amy was reading as usual. Well, she looked like she was reading, but the blush on her face indicated that she was more enjoying the kisses Makoto was giving to her neck, with her arms around her waist.

Setsuna smiled. It had taken a lot of time for them to reveal their feelings to each other. But now, they couldn't be happier, as they were discovering themselves over time. Finally, there were the other girls, playing a video game. In fact, Usagi was playing, and the others were watching her. However, red eyes took a glimpse of Minako who was hugging Rei, as an act of friendship. But in reality, it was more than that, but the senshi of fire, hadn't got the clue yet.

"Impossible! Sets-chan is late, and Usagi was on time! We must celebrate this" Haruka quipped, finally noticing Setsuna.

"Ah ah ah, funny Haruka" The olive skinned woman replied, before taking a seat between Hotaru and Usagi.

"So did you have a good day? Hail and Rain called me to say that you bumped Haruka's clone?" Michiru laughed. This time Haruka was the one who glared at her.

"Ah, they called you for that? Well, yes Haruka's clone, flirty and good looking but more intelligent."

"Aw, Sets-chan, you're hurting my feelings for you" Haruka said looking hurt.

"She was interesting…"

Silence. Everyone looked at Setsuna, utterly shocked. First, it was because Setsuna unequivocally showed some emotions, and second because she found a flirting girl interesting. Above all that she was daydreaming. Even Haruka and Michiru couldn't believe what they heard. Michiru smiled, it was interesting indeed. Suddenly the silence was broken by Ami's cough which caught everyone's attention.

"Since everyone is here. Let's start this meeting, as Haruka-san requested, I tried to do some research about the mysterious man who saved Setsuna-san. And to be frank I didn't find anything"

"What? Not even the tiniest information?" Haruka asked, surprised.

"Well. I found some data about it, but I'm not totally sure about their reliability. According to the data of the late moon kingdom, it exists a galaxy like ours, named Go'wakusei. It is said that some people there could control the five elements, maybe he comes from there."

"Is he an enemy?" Haruka insisted.

"I can't answer that. But he did save Setsuna-san, surely he is not an enemy."

But Haruka was not convinced.

"Well, the only solution would be meeting him" Usagi suggested.

"And how de you plan to do that?" Setsuna asked.

"Well, maybe if we put you in danger again, he would come…" Haruka tried to say, before Michiru slapped her. "I was kidding, I was kidding!"

"Well it may not be such a bad idea"

"Setsuna!" Michiru scolded.

"Michiru, it's for the sake of our mission, I can…"

"Are you sure, it's not because you want to see him again?" Haruka suspected.

"Not at all…" Setsuna suddenly stopped. Silence. Everyone was silent, but this time it was for another reason, a youma had appeared again. Maybe it was their chance to see the masked guy again.

-X-

Indeed, they saw him again. When they arrived at the place where the youma was, he was there fighting. And he was a really good swordfighter that clearly had the upper hand on the youma. The monster was a giant lizard. It was trying to grab its prey with its tail, so its sharpened teeth could rip its enemy's flesh up. The senshi couldn't help but watch him fight, too fast for the youma, until he launched the youma away, jumping and driving his sword into the monster,, killing it instantly. The man sighed deeply right before noticing the senshi.

"Hi there" He greeted warmly avoiding at the same time Uranus' sudden attack. "Still think I'm the bad guy huh?"

"We'll always think you're the bad guy, as long as you don't tell us who you are and why you are here on earth." Uranus replied harshly.

"My, my… well… I'm from the galaxy Go'Gakusei; but I think you already know that don't you? As for my name you can call me Akamen. I have just moved to earth and I wanted to help you with these youma, that's all."

Uranus was still suspicious, but Michiru's hand on her shoulder calmed her a little bit. Moreover Setsuna came by her side.

"Uranus, I think he is saying the truth"

"Pluto, you say that because he saved your life"

"No…"

"Watch out" Sailor Moon screamed.

Everyone turned to the masked guy, to see him being attacked by another youma. By chance he succeeded in stopping the attack, but the impact was so powerful that he lost his sword. His sword flew into the earth several meters away. Again the youma attacked, but this time Setsuna ran toward her savior, surprising everyone, and before the attack could hit him, Setsuna jumped, and caught him to avoid the attack. They fell on the floor, Pluto on top of him.

"Are you alright?" She said.

"Yes don't worry. Thank you." Akamen answered back.

"You know, I should be the one saying that. Thank you for last week I mean."

"Ah. Then you're welcome."

And suddenly, Pluto felt again his soft warm lips on her own. She was surprised, but enjoyed every second. Fortunately, the others were fighting the youma and weren't looking at them. She felt a void when the kiss stopped, sad that it didn't last longer. Setsuna looked at him, he was smiling again, making her heart beat harder in her chest.

"A thank you kiss this time, and unfortunately the last one." He laughed. "Your friends are taking care of the monster, I think I should leave again. Ja ne"

Pluto stood up, followed shortly by him, who just before leaving picked up his sword. Pluto didn't move, still shaken by all the events, not until she finally heard Sailor moon's voice.

"Pluto?"

"Yes?"

"The youma is gone. And I see that…Akamen has left as well."

"Indeed"

"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll see him again." The future princess said eventually.

Pluto turned to Sailor Moon, surprised. But her princess only smiled at her, before leaving, joining the others who were waiting for them. The guardian of time was still in awe to see how she matured since she met her. There was no doubt that Sailor Moon would be a great queen. She smiled and left as well, already yearning for the next encounter with Akamen.


	3. When the mermaid meets the targets

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own Sailor Moon, Teruki Tao belongs to me, the Tenki sisters and Kasumi Tani belong to Auraluna7

* * *

><p>Chapter 3: When the mermaid meets the targets<p>

"Come on Michiru, are you sure?"

"Haruka, it's only for two hours." The aqua haired girl pleaded.

Hail and Rain talked to Michiru about a special lecture at Todai about art and mathematics. And she had to say, she was really curious and had the thirst for improvement and discovery. However, she didn't want to be alone at this lecture, so she succeeded in bringing her girlfriend along, not without difficulties. So here were they, at the entrance of the college. Haruka was by her side, not really happy, growling silently, while they were walking in the institution. Michiru smiled at the funny scene, but soon after she took Haruka's hand in her own. She rested her head on her shoulder.

"Let's make a deal, love." She suggested, her voice gentle but with an inch of playfulness.

"Yes?"

"If you come with me, be silent during the entire lecture, I gave you 500 points on your M's card, but if you don't, I will have the 500 points on my H's card."

Haruka stopped in her track, looking at Michiru, this time with a grin on her face. The words M's card and H's card stood for Michiru's card and Haruka's card. It was a game between them to have more "fun". When they would make a deal, the wages would be points to put on these cards. And with these points, they could choose "special" rewards in a customized catalog they have made: the more points you have, the more intense and funnier the night would be. In a way, it seemed that wild Haruka was tamed by her woman. But she didn't care; because it was worth it, she had waited for ages to reach the final rewards!

"Okay, deal. But be prepared. Soon, you'll have to perform the figure 25 with me." The blonde haired girl huskily announced.

"Ara and I thought you wanted the figure 24" Michiru replied with a mischievous smile.

"I'm still debating, but don't worry, you will have to perform the two eventually."

Michiru laughed. Haruka smiled too, amused, before lowering her head to kiss her girlfriend. It was a simple kiss to show how much she loved her. In reality, she would do anything for her, but it was fun to play with her sometimes.

After several minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the amphitheatre, where the lecture would take place. It was neither huge, nor a small place. It was enough for at least a hundred people. After all, Michiru heard that a student and not a teacher would present the lecture, so it was not an important event inside the college. The seats were arranged in semicircle around the center of the room, where there was a whiteboard and a booth with a microphone on it. When the couple arrived, they were surprised to see that half of the room was occupied already. They decided to take the seats in the last row, where most of them were empty. Finally after several minutes of waiting, someone entered the room and walked toward the center to stand behind the microphone.

"A woman?" Haruka whispered, surprised. Even if the student was wearing a long black jacket over her clothes, it didn't hide her feminine attributes, or at least partially.

"Her name is Teruki Tao" Michiru replied. "She is cute"

"With those glasses and clothes?"

"Jealous?"

"Completely."

"Come one Ruka, you know I only love you."

"I hope so" Haruka smiled and then kissed Michiru, who accepted it willingly. Shortly after, they were quiet and started to listen what the mathematician had to say. At this moment, the audience stopped talking too and only Teruki's voice could be heard in the amphitheatre.

"Good morning everyone, and thank you for being here. As agreed upon the schedule today, I will talk about the relations between arts and mathematics" The black haired girl readjusted her glasses on her nose before starting the lecture.

-X-

Surprised.

Surprised was the word to describe how was Haruka right now. She imagined the lecture as something boring, making her asleep. She was already prepared to pinch herself or think about the points on her card to stay awake. Actually, she didn't have to recourse to these methods. Indeed the lecture was enough interesting for her to listen and be attentive. Moreover, Teruki did a good job by making some jokes during the presentation, so the audience wouldn't be bored.

Slowly, she looked at Michiru, and smiled when she saw how captivated by the lecture her girlfriend was. Her eyes were focused on the whiteboard, trying to understand the formula. She was endearing. It was one of the aspects, which make Haruka fell for her. The blonde haired girl couldn't help herself and kissed Michiru's temple. The sea nymph jumped and looked at the racer.

"A little longer and I would be able to see your head fuming, love." Haruka quipped.

"Not funny, koi" Michiru pouted, but soon after she laughed, as well as Haruka.

The shorter girl, then, leaned towards her lover and rested her head on the blonde´s shoulder, still looking at the whiteboard. Haruka, about her, was looking at the audience. Most of the people in the amphitheatre were students from Todai, but she could catch a glimpse of older people, who were surely teachers. And suddenly she noticed someone near the door at her right. Surprised green eyes recognized this person, dark green eyes and olive skin. No doubt about it. She was leaning on the wall next to the door, her back facing the center of the room, so no one but the last row could see her. She was not looking at Teruki, only listening at her, her eyes closed.

"Michi, it's Setsuna!" Haruka whispered, restless.

"What? What are you talking about?" Michiru replied, trying to not catch the attention of people around them.

"Next to the door, it's Setsuna."

"No way!"

Both lovers looked at the woman. They were more than surprised when they saw her laughing, because of one of Teruki's jokes. Immediately, they tried to get unnoticed, being the most unassuming possible.

"What is she doing here?" Haruka asked.

"Surely to assist at the lecture. What else?" Michiru said ironically. But she stopped suddenly and looked at Haruka, eyes widened.

"No way!"

Both looked at Setsuna again, then at Teruki. Realization dawned at them, when they saw the guardian of time turning slightly to see Teruki doing her presentation. She was quiet, her eyes showing no emotion. But Haruka and Michiru knew that there was something behind those red eyes.

-X-

Teruki deeply sighed. Her presentation had finished for a while. But a lot of people wanted to talk to her, and she couldn't refuse it. She was still at the amphitheatre, next to the whiteboard to clear some points of her presentation to her last spectator. She was tired, bored, but before all disappointed. Her presentation had drawn more people than she thought. It was a positive aspect. But, she especially wanted the presence of a certain olive skinned woman. But she was nowhere to be seen. During the past week since their first meeting, she had had many occasions to talk to her, and she had thought that maybe she would be here. Teruki sighed again. She was wrong. In fact, maybe Setsuna wasn't interested in her, or was talking to her only because Mia was.

"Tao-san?"

Teruki, who was lost in her thoughts, didn't hear the voice next to her until she felt a hand on her shoulder; she jumped and looked at the stranger. Her eyes widened when she saw aqua hair and deep blue eyes, but she smiled.

"Yes, Kaioh-san?" She replied, amused when she saw Michiru's expression.

"How…?"

"Well, it's not difficult to recognize you, a famous violinist, with the color of your hair and such an astonish beauty" Teruki's tone was definitely flirtatious, and Michiru gave her a tiny smile. "But in fact I must confess the Tenki Sisters told me you might assist to my lecture today"

"Oh, of course they did." Michiru's smile widened. Michiru took a more appreciative look at Teruki "You must be the Haruka´s clone they're lately talking about so much." Michiru giggled. In fact, Rain and Tenki always called Teruki, Haruka's clone in her presence at least, that's why the aqua haired girl didn't know Teruki's name until today. Suddenly a cough interrupted them. Haruka was by their side, glaring at the black haired girl.

"Oh, sorry" Michiru said, embarrassed. "This is Haruka Tenoh"

"Nice to meet you" Teruki replied, embarrassed too.

"Nice to meet you too, Tao-san" Haruka's voice was emotionless, but the dark haired girl knew that there was a hidden threat behind it, saying, "She is mine".

"Come on Ruka, don't be rude." Michiru was trying to calm this tensed atmosphere. " Tao-san…"

"Call me Teruki."

"Teruki-san, your lecture was really interesting, but I didn't understand well this part about the golden ratio."

"I see, well I can explain you again, if you want."

"Really? It would be great. Ruka are you coming with us?" The aqua haired girl turned toward her girlfriend. But the latter shook her head.

"Sorry Michi, I need to go to the race track."

"Oh…well maybe I will ask for explanations later…"

"No Michi, I know you want it, and after all, if it let me see more beautiful paintings of yours..." Haruka giggled, kissing Michiru's head.

"But who will bring me home?" Michiru asked suddenly.

"Don't worry, I can drop you off before going back home" Teruki simply suggested, still next to them.

"Then, everything is okay" Haruka nodded with a smile that to the untrained eye might have posed as friendly

Michiru felt guilty to let Haruka go. She was sure that her lover was quite jealous and angry because she would be alone with her "clone".

"No I'm not jealous, love" The race whispered in the violinist's ear as she hugged her. "I trust you,"

Blue eyes widened. However, Michiru smiled, a relief smile. No matter what, her lover will always find the words to make her feel better. They kissed, not a lustful one, it was a simple kiss to show how they trust each other. They parted and Michiru went with Teruki outside. Haruka watched them before leaving too.

-X-

"…So we use the golden ratio for all these applications"

"I see" Michiru exclaimed, amazed.

It was sunny outside, so they decided to seat on a table next to the café of the school. It was neither hot nor windy. So it was a perfect day to enjoy the sunlight. They have been here for an hour, the mathematician helping the violinist in understanding the way of mathematics. But in reality, the explanations only lasted the last thirty minutes. The first half of the hour was filled with jokes. Michiru was quite surprised at first. She thought that someone like Teruki would be the serious type, always studying and didn't have fun at all, like Setsuna. But it was the contrary; the taller girl was the joking type. Michiru asked her about it. And the only answer she received was "We live once, so why not enjoying this only life and have fun?" Shortly after, the student left to buy some tea for both of them. Right now, Teruki was taking a sip of her cup of tea, and looked at Michiru, who was drinking too, looking at the papers in front of her.

"Pretty easy, isn't it?"

"Well, I'm not sure we can say easy, but it's not impossible, I learned a lot. Thanks Teru…"

Michiru couldn't finish her sentence, as the dark haired girl didn't listen to her anymore. In fact she was looking away, at her left in the crowd.

"Teruki-san?"

But she didn't hear the violinist anymore. Right now, all her attention was focused on the tanned woman in front of her, some meters away. She was looking at the beautiful pair of naked legs, and the perfect waist, she wanted so much to grab… Setsuna was mouthwatering. But she knew it would be only a dream. Setsuna made clear that she hated flirty people. Even if the dark green haired woman stated that she didn't hate her anymore, it didn't seem she was interested in her either; too bad.

"Teruki-san"

The taller girl jumped at Michiru's voice.

"Sorry Michiru-san. I was lost in my thoughts."

But the violinist had noticed Teruki's behavior; she was not lost in her thought. She was staring at someone, a person she knew too well. Setsuna was talking with her friend Mia right now. Blue eyes looked at the guardian of time, then at Teruki, a smile forming on her face. She was going to talk about it when a voice interrupted her.

"Oi, Teruki-chan, Michiru-chan"

"Rain, Hail, Kasumi!" The violinist exclaimed, as the three girls were getting closer to their table.

"What are you doing here? Teruki asked, staring at them, suspicious.

"Oh, Teruki, come on, we love to talk with you." Hail stated. They seated in front of them. Teruki noticed then the third girl, called Kasumi, who was at Rain's left. She was gorgeous, that's the first thought which came in the black haired girl's mind. She was not her type, but she couldn't be indifferent to someone like her, especially with the curly platinum hair grazing the perfect factions of her face and framing a pair of very intense and deep gray eyes. Rain noticed the staring, and automatically put her arm around the girl's waist.

"Sorry, she is already taken and mine, Teru-chan" Rain stated, a smirk on her face.

"It's surprising to see you act like that Rain" Teruki giggled.

"Rain, behave yourself! Hi, I'm Kasumi Tani. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Teruki Tao."

"I know, Rain and Hail talked to me about you."

"Positive things I hope."

"We just told her how much of a pervert you are." Hail joked.

Everyone laughed.

"So Teru-chan, how was your lecture?" Rain asked.

"Good, I didn't expect so many people, and especially Michiru-san and Haruka-san" Teruki stated.

"We were afraid that no one would be at your presentation, so we asked for them to go, at least you would have two people in the amphitheatre." Rain exclaimed, laughing. But she winced, when she received a slap on her hand by Kasumi, which make the others giggle. "I mean, we were going to attend too but Kasumi and Hail had a presentation in the other side of town"

"I understand. It's ok." Teruki replied with a smile.

"Teruki-san is being modest, the amphitheater was almost full, a lot of people attended the lecture." Michiru smiled at Teruki.

"And was Setsuna-san there?" Hail popped the question. Unconsciously, Teruki took a glimpse at her left, and sadness overwhelmed her, as the dark green haired woman was nowhere to be seen again.

"Unfortunately, it seems that it was not enough interesting for her" The black haired student guessed.

Michiru looked at her surprised. She understood now, why Setsuna was there. In fact Teruki had invited her. But why would she hide herself? At this thought, the violinist didn't inform her friend about the guardian of time's presence in the amphitheatre. The tanned woman had her reasons, so Michiru stayed silent. She didn't want to be victim of Setsuna's anger, if she informed Teruki of her presence. She witnessed her anger once. In one word, it was better to be on her side. Otherwise, the violinist would have to live among the dinosaurs. She shivered at the idea.

"Maybe, next time." Kasumi said, feeling sad for Teruki.

The said girl smiled, even if her eyes showed the contrary. Afterwards, they continue to talk about anything. While they were talking, Rain went to buy some drinks and food. So here they were, eating, drinking and talking happily. Michiru finally noticed that Hail, Rain and Kasumi were doing everything to cheer up Teruki, who was getting better little by little. Surely, Setsuna had caught Teruki's attention, and her absence during the lecture had affected a lot the student.

The group had kept talking for a long time, until Kasumi stared at Teruki's face, which made the latter uncomfortable. "Is something wrong Kasumi-san?" She asked finally.

"Are they scars?

"What?"

Suddenly, the Todai's student felt Kasumi's finger on her cheek, which made her blush. She looked at Rain, who was deadly glaring at her, she didn't know what to do, and started panicking. Really, Rain could be frightening sometimes. But dark eyes widened as she felt the fingers moving, following a certain path, she knew too well.

Kasumi's fingers were moving from the bottom of her left cheek, in diagonal to the center of her face on her nose. Then, the fingers left this part to move on the right side. There, they moved on the top of her right cheek, horizontally. Teruki's softened at the touch, she was not enjoying it, but they were really sensitive parts, and it was bringing back some of her oldest memories.

"Yes, they are scars" She whispered.

"Oh sorry, I didn't intend to be so bold" Kasumi exclaimed, blushing, realizing what she had done.

"Don't worry"

"How did you get these scars?" Michiru interrogated, curious.

"Well, it was a childhood accident, nothing important. I was hoping you wouldn't notice them. I learned that people tend to be suspicious when they saw someone with scars on them." Teruki replied a little bit embarrassed and afraid that the other would stop talking to her because of that. She had tried to hide them, but it was really difficult, since they were on her face.

"Oh don't worry about it we still love you." Hail grinned.

"And it's pretty invisible" Rain added.

Teruki smiled. It was good to have friends.

-X-

Setsuna groaned. It was unusual for her to not be able to focus on her homework, especially when she was alone at home. No sound. It was quiet. But she still couldn't focus. Her mind was fogged by one person; Teruki Tao.

At the beginning, she was hesitating to assist her lecture. It was not her major, so logically there were no reasons for her to go. She decided to go at the very last minute, and still, she didn't want to show herself. Because if Teruki noticed her, it would show that she was interested in the taller girl. But, she was not, so she didn't want to give the wrong feeling. Right? It was only because of that.

However, Setsuna's chest had tightened when she had noticed Teruki's grim expression when she began her lecture. 'Why did I care so much?' The guardian of time thought. Maybe it was because she liked her a lot? But suddenly, the image of Akamen and her dreams filled her mind. She blushed, and tried to think of something else, but her mind came back to Teruki's image. It was a vicious circle. So Setsuna groaned of frustration, and started to knock her head on her desk.

"Get out of my mind. Get out of my mind!"

"Suna? Are you alright?"

Setsuna straightened up immediately and looked at her right. It was Michiru, with a suspicious look.

"Oh nothing to worry Michiru." Setsuna was trying to look normal, but being seen smashing her poor desk with her head, was not normal…

"I'm not really sure"

"Where is Haruka?" The guardian of time was trying to change the subject.

"Oh she is not here already? Well, I needed to talk to Ruki Ruki about something, Haruka couldn't come she had to go to the racetrack. It's Ruki ruki who brought me home."

"Ruki ruki?"

"Teruki-chan! I was with her, plus Rain, Hail and Kasumi"

Setsuna noticed the honorifics and the nickname Michiru used for Teruki. " And what did you talk about?"

"Oh some mathematics stuff, and about her scars…"

At the mention of this detail, Setsuna's heart skipped a beat. "I see."

'So she talked about it to them' She thought. During the past week, she had talked with the dark haired woman. She learned a lot about her, like she loved mathematics, of course, but she is also found out she was an artist and dreamed to become a mangaka one day. Teruki already had a story; it was about some heroes who had to protect the world against demons.

Teruki reminded Setsuna a bit of herself, a scientist, but also hidden artist. She had noticed the scars on her face also, but Teruki never talked about it, or was always trying to hide them. So Setsuna decided to not go further onto this path, and to wait for her to talk. It seemed that she talked about it, but not to her. Now, Michiru and her were on the first name basis, or at least they were closed now.

"Is everything alright Suna?"

"Yes, just a little bit tired."

"Oh, then I should let you alone, I'm going to prepare dinner."

"Okay" As Michiru left, Setsuna closed her eyes. She was restless, too many feelings in her head; she didn't like it. She couldn't focus properly, her mind waving between Teruki, Akamen and school. What was happening to her? Again, she sighed in frustration. She wanted to clear her head, to think about nothing. Suddenly she looked at her clock, and it hit her. She quickly stood up and went downstairs to seat on the couch. Then, she took the remote control and switch on the television to watch a particular event. Music filled the room, then a man's voice.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I hope that you're comfortably settled at home. Today, Yves Saint-Laurent is presenting you his new ready to wear collection."

Setsuna smiled. She was on time. She almost forgot this new fashion show. Finally she was able to forget everything and to enjoy her little pleasures. All of a sudden, she heard someone opening the front door.

"Setsuna-mama, Michiru-mama, we're home"

The guardian of time saw her daughter, who sped up after taking a glimpse of the television.

"Oh it's so beautiful" Hotaru exclaimed, seating on the couch next to her mother.

"Isn't it Hime-chan?" Setsuna grinned.

"Indeed, it's quite interesting" Haruka remarked. Setsuna turned toward the blonde. "Really Sets-chan, I still don't understand why you chose to study physics, when you can do something like that."

"Because you can't succeed in the fashion business if you're not famous and not recognized."

"Maybe, but you love it. If you love what you do, you can do anything."

Setsuna stayed silent, not wanting to continue this discussion with Haruka. The latter noticed it. She sighed, as usual; the guardian of time was still stubborn about it. But what can she do? So she left and went to the kitchen, where her girlfriend was.

-X-

She opened the door of her apartment, and walked into it without switching on the lights. She lazily dropped her bag on the floor, exhausted. It has been a long day today, and right now all she wanted to do was sleeping. It was a miracle she was able to ride home without any accidents, knowing that she was not able right now to keep her eyes open. So she walked toward her bedroom, where her queen size bed was, inviting. Suddenly she stopped when she saw a red light beeping next to her phone. Silently she walked next to it, and pushed the button. A feminine voice suddenly filled the room.

"Teru? We called you sooner today, but you were not here. So we will call you later. Don't worry about it. It was just to have some news from you. We miss you. Ah Teru, T-chan wanted to tell you to tidy your room. According to her, you're living in a mess (laugh). Well, until next time. Ja ne."

Teruki smiled. It was good to hear her voice again. It has only been two weeks, and she missed her already. She yawned. Well, time to go to bed. Slowly, she undressed herself, to only be in undershirt and boxer, and went to bed. When she was settled, she sighed happily. Her bed was comfy, and finally she could rest. Today was awful. Her presentation had drained all her energy, and the fact that a particular tanned woman was missing didn't help. But it was still a good day, since she had talked with the twins, Kasumi and Michiru. She noticed it. They were trying to cheer her up. She was grateful, and happy to have such friends, especially since she would have to stay in this world for a moment. Slowly, she was falling asleep, not able to think properly anymore. Several minutes later, the apartment was quiet, only the breath of a sleeping Teruki could be heard in the room.


	4. The matchmaker operation may begin

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own Sailor Moon

* * *

><p>Chapter 4: The matchmaker operation may begin<p>

It was a sunny Saturday and all Haruka wanted to do right now was driving her car along the beach, Michiru by her side. But right now, she was in a shopping center, more precisely in a clothing store, sitting on a chair, with numerous bags around her waiting for Michiru and Setsuna to finish. Well, truth to be told she was not complaining; after all, she had an excuse to watch Setsuna in nightdresses. Lucky day.

Michiru had already chosen her dress, and was helping Setsuna find the perfect one. Setsuna walked out of the dress room wearing a tea length little black dress, sleeveless. Haruka had to admit she looked quite sexy. Plus, the green haired woman had a particular blush on her face, showing that she was not used to it, which emphasized her sexiness.

"Michiru…are you sure, this is necessary?" Setsuna asked.

"Yes, Shing Xia-san said that the dress code was formal for this event."

"But, is it important that I must come with you? After all, Haruka and you were invited to play for his daughter's wedding. I don't understand why I need to come with you."

"Because, Shing Xia-san said that I can bring my family if I want. So I invited all the senshis. I know that you are not into this kind of events, but only for this one, I want to show to the world my family and you belong to our family, Suna."

This time, Setsuna didn't know what to say, surprised by Michiru's revelation, but also so blessed by it. Suddenly she felt a hand on her back, she turned and saw Haruka behind her, smiling.

"Come on Sets-chan, you know that we are a family, are and will always be."

At these words, Setsuna hugged suddenly Michiru, who was really surprised. But her face softened.

"Thanks, thank you very much." Setsuna put a kiss on Michiru's forehead, which made the latter smile.

"And what about me?" Haruka asked, acting like she was hurt.

The guardian of time laughed before hugging Haruka as well at the same time. They have stayed like this for a moment, until the heard a cough, and saw the vendor looking at them, quite embarrassed. The outers immediately stopped, embarrassed as well. Haruka went back to the chair where there were the shopping bags. Michiru followed behind, while Setsuna was changing her clothes. But just before entering the dressing room, she looked at herself in the mirror, smiling. This party wouldn't be so bad after all. But she was snapped out of her thoughts by Michiru's voice.

"Oh no! Setsuna, I totally forgot."

"Yes?"

"You need a date for the party"

"What?" Setsuna shouted, but seeing that she was drawing attention, she whispered. "A date?"

"Well, after a little math, you will be alone for this party, otherwise; we're an odd number of people."

"Oh, it doesn't bother me"

"No, no, you won't be alone at this event, I won't allow it."

"But who…"

"Don't worry, I have someone in mind."

Shortly after, Michiru picked her cell phone and dialed a number. She waited, looking at Setsuna, who was totally lost, but afraid also. She absolutely didn't know who the aqua haired girl was calling, and hoped that the person was Hail. At least, she knew and got along with her, so it wouldn't be too awkward.

"Moshi moshi? Ruki ruki?" asked Michiru.

"What?" Setsuna stammered, shocked.

"I'm fine, thank you." The violinist continued, pretending that she didn't hear the guardian of time. "Well, I would like to know, if you're free next Saturday? I'm playing for a wedding, and I can invite whoever I want."

"Well, I'm not sure Michiru-chan. It's not really my cup of tea" Teruki answered, unsure about the invitation. She went back to her drawing, but was still listening the violinist.

"Please, otherwise Setsuna would be alone on Saturday" Michiru insisted.

"Setsuna?" Teruki suddenly dropped her pencil.

"Yes. I have invited everyone, but Setsuna will be the only one without a date for the wedding. So I thought about you."

"Well…"

"Please, I ask you as a friend."

Teruki stayed silent, thinking. It was really tempting, recently, she had met with Setsuna a few times, but nothing much. Usually, it was "good morning", "how are you?", "fine" and "good bye". Not so much for conversation. So, maybe it was her chance to talk with Setsuna again, even if it was for a few hours.

"Okay, okay, I'm in."

"Thank you very much Ruki ruki!" Michiru exclaimed.

Teruki laughed at the nickname. She didn't know why the aqua haired girl chose this nickname, but it was funny. They said good-bye, before hanging up.

Michiru turned toward Setsuna grinning.

"There, Ruki is okay for next week." But Setsuna only sighed, and went back to the dressing room. Michiru looked at her, smiling. Since she met Teruki, she had been sure that she was Setsuna's soul mate. So, since the pair seemed blind about it, she would help them to be together. Shing Xia-san's daughter's wedding was the perfect occasion.

In the dressing room, Setsuna got off the dress, sighing again. She didn't know what to think about all these events. She was not against the fact of Teruki being her date at the wedding next week. But recently, she was really tensed when she was by the student's side and often was silent, not knowing what to say to her. She recognized the symptoms. It was obvious: She was falling for her. But she didn't want to admit it.

How could she love someone like that? Teruki was such a flirt and overconfident woman. Moreover, she seemed to be more interested in Michiru; after all, they were really close. At this thought, Setsuna's chest tightened. Was she jealous? Again, a flow of thoughts was clouding her mind, and she hated it. She tried to forget it, but she couldn't, and it was frightening her. Setsuna sighed deeply again. For the moment, she had other things to do. After what Michiru said, she absolutely had to be present to the wedding. She was still touched by her words, and they comforted her a lot, putting aside her doubt for the moment. So no matter what, nothing would stop her.

-X-

She had promised, nothing would stop her, not even a fever or a headache…

"Oh my head." The guardian of time whimpered. She was leaning on her bed, trying to gather some strength for tonight. "How could I catch a cold during the summer?" Indeed, it was really hot outside lately. However, because of that, all the university had the air-conditioners working at full blast. This past week, Setsuna had to travel from different buildings, and the change of temperature got the best of her. "Damned air-conditioners!" The dark green haired woman, then, got up and walked toward her desk. She took some painkillers, hoping that it would help her for the night, and started dressing herself. Soon after she was done, she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in." Setsuna said.

"Suna suna. Haruka and I are going now. We need to go sooner for the ceremony. Don't worry about Hotaru, she is coming with Chibi-usa."

"Alright. I need to wait for Teruki-san then" Setsuna stated, but she coughed right after.

"Suna? Are you alright?"

"Don't worry about it, just a little cold, that's all."

"Are you sure? It seems serious." Michiru was getting worried.

"As I said don't worry, everything is fine. Now go, before you're too late"

"Okay" Michiru was not totally relieved, but Setsuna was getting stubborn about it, so she didn't push further.

Several minutes later, Haruka and Michiru were gone, driving toward the mansion where the ceremony would be held. An hour later, Setsuna finished preparing herself. She was ready and decided to wait for Teruki in the living room. She should arrive soon; but the more the time passed, the more Setsuna was convinced that her date was late. And after several minutes, she felt sleepy. Being sick drained all of Setsuna's strength, and it was difficult right now for her to stay awake. So slowly, she leaned on the sofa, and drifted to sleep.

A sharp sound woke her up. Someone was knocking at the door. It had to be Teruki. Setsuna looked at the wall clock and noticed that she was an hour late, which didn't help her to feel better and made her if anything angry. She was late, really late. So quickly, she grabbed her things and opened the door. Teruki was standing before her, and she was astonishing with her black tuxedo above her red shirt and black tie. For a second, Setsuna forgot everything and felt a sudden urge to grab Teruki and make love to her… 'Wait! Setsuna, what are you thinking again? No you can't fall for her. It's no, and absolutely no!'

"Good evening, Setsuna-san." Teruki smiled.

"You're late!" Setsuna winced. She didn't want to be so harsh, but she was trying to restrain herself, and her headache wasn't helping her.

"Oh" Teruki was taken aback and didn't know what to say, quite upset. They weren't at the mansion yet, and Setsuna was already angry with her. "I'm sorry, I was at the university and some stuff kept me busy…"

"No I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's just that I'm a little tired."

"Oh, then are you sure you want to go?"

"More than sure. So come on, we mustn't lose more time."

Then, Teruki guided Setsuna toward her car, which was a red Kia sportage.

"Is it your car?" Setsuna asked.

"Not really, I rented it. Usually I have a motorbike, but I'm not sure it is suitable for a party like that." Teruki answered, while opening the door for Setsuna. Then, she got in the car as well, and started it.

Teruki couldn't find the right words to break the ice between them . Setsuna and her arrived at the entrance of Shing Xia's residence, where were standing some guards. After showing them the invitation, they were said to continue on the road until they would arrive at the mansion. But they have been driving for at least twenty minutes, and they are still watching at evergreens and trees. The fact that there were any lights on the road didn't help and didn't reassure Teruki.

"Are you sure we are not lost?"

"Sure" Setsuna simply answered, trying to keep her eyes open. "Shing Xia-san is a successful businessman, he is the CEO of Xia corp."

"Xia corp., the real estate?"

"Indeed. He bought this huge property to have peace, and to enjoy the view. So it's not surprising that we will still have to drive for at least fifteen minutes"

"Scary"

Setsuna laughed. Hopefully, this tiny discussion succeeded in keeping her awake. The ride went silent again; even with the radio on, the atmosphere was quite tensed, which didn't put Teruki at ease.

"I forgot to say sooner that you look really gorgeous tonight."

It was true, it was the first thing she thought when she saw Setsuna tonight. Her tight black dress was showing every curve of her body. It took all of Teruki's will to not rip off the dress to feel soft bare skin under her fingers. Setsuna was perfect.

The guardian of time looked at the taller woman, blushing. She didn't foresee this and was a little taken aback by the comment. But at the same time, she was touched by it.

"Thank you" She replied eventually.

At this moment, Teruki turned her head to look at Setsuna, smiling. Setsuna looked at her too. But red eyes went back to the road and widened.

"Teruki, watch out!"

Quickly, the dark haired woman watched the road and saw a deer in the center of it. Instinctively, she turned hard left the steering wheel. They left the road, but went into a tree.

-X-

The party had begun for hours now. The ballroom was vast, even huge. A gigantic ceiling light was illumining the room, with more tiny lamps arranged on the walls. Globally, the room reminded of an ancient romantic ballroom. Shing Xia was a huge fan of the romantic period, so he insisted in building a room in this style. Everyone was dancing or chatting happily. The music had helped a lot, since it was Michiru and Haruka who were playing. But right now, they decided to take a break and enjoy the night. It was another band and a DJ who kept playing. At this moment, Haruka was talking with Amy and Makoto, joking. However, the blonde racer noticed her girlfriend outside, on the veranda, alone. She decided to join her.

"Everything is alright, love?" Haruka put her arms around the sea girl's waist.

"Suna and Ruki ruki are late." She just stated.

"Don't worry, surely they are a little bit late because of something."

"A little bit late? Haruka, they are 2 hours late!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure they are alright. But you, on the contrary will catch a cold if you stay here. So come in."

"Okay, but I'm still worried."

-X-

The first thing Teruki felt when she opened her eyes was a big headache. Unconsciously, she tried to reduce the pain by massaging her head. But, as her hand touched the skin, she felt hot liquid under her finger, and went she looked at them, she saw crimson red. She was bleeding. "Oh great" Suddenly, Teruki heard someone whimpered next to her, and immediately remembered of Setsuna. The said woman was little by little waking up.

"Setsuna-san, are you alright?"

"I don't think I will be alright after a car accident." She groaned. It didn't help that she was still sick, and because of that her headache had become worse.

Quickly, the dark haired woman got out of the car and went around it to open the door for the tanned woman. She took a glimpse however of the Kia and shuddered at the idea of explaining the accident to the car insurance. Promptly after opening the car door, Teruki remove Setsuna's seatbelt and helped her to get out of the vehicle.

"Can you walk?" Teruki asked, as she was holding the guardian of time.

"I think I can…" But the dark haired woman winced in pain as she tried to stand up and fell. Hopefully, Teruki was there to catch her before she touched the ground. "In fact I think not, I must have twisted my ankle during the accident."

The taller girl looked at Setsuna's ankle. Indeed it was swollen. When she touched it to see if it was not broken, the tanned woman cried, but it was not. So Teruki got up and took her cell phone. She groaned when she noticed that she had no network. She went on the center of the road, but it was no use. At the same time, she looked for a car, but since it was a private property, it was desert.

"We have no network, we better walk back to the guards at the entrance to bring you to the nearby hospital." Teruki suggested as she was heading back toward Setsuna.

"No!" Setsuna shouted.

"What? Setsuna-san, you need to go to the hospital. It's too late for the party, especially in this state. You have a fever!" Teruki touched at the shorter girl's forehead, and was surprised that she was able to walk with such a fever.

"I need to go!"

Teruki stayed silent. She saw that the tanned woman was determined, and that nothing could make her change her mind. She was really stubborn. The taller woman sighed. She untied her tie and removed her jacket to put it on Setsuna. The latter looked at her, her vision blurred.

"To keep you warm" Teruki stated. Then she squatted down. "I'll carry you, come on". Slowly, Setsuna put her arms around Teruki's neck and leaned on her back. Calmly, the taller girl got up and started walking.

"Is everything alright? Comfortable enough?" Teruki asked, concerned.

"You're warm" Setsuna simply answered, slowly drifting to sleep.

"Ah? You think so?"

"Yes, I like it" Indeed, she was enjoying it, her head on Teruki's back. The warmth was relaxing her.

On the other hand, Teruki was having difficulties to focus, with the tanned woman behind her. She could feel her breasts on her back. God! They were not as small as hers. It was an evidence! 'Focus Teruki, it's not the time!' she thought.

After a moment, she noticed that Setsuna was asleep. So she decided to accelerate and started running.

-X-

"Something is wrong Ruka." Michiru cried, really worried.

"Calm down Michi." Haruka tried to reassure her, but she was not convinced herself. The party was nearly over and Setsuna and Teruki were not here. They could not call them either. The others were starting to be concerned too. Suddenly, Shing Xia-san arrived by their side. He was a strong and wise mid-aged man. Learning that the violinist was still waiting for people, he accepted in helping her. Michiru quickly got up and went toward him.

"Any news Shing Xia-san?"

"Sorry Kaioh-san. According to the guards, they arrived at the property. Surely, something happened between the entrance and the mansion."

Haruka suddenly got up, surprising everyone one.

"Then, I'm going to look for them. If they are here, we only have to find them" She took her keys and went outside.

"I'm going with you!" Michiru stated. She had followed Haruka who was going to get in her car.

"No Michi, you need to stay here." The blonde insisted.

"The hell I'm staying here, I…"

But Michiru couldn't finish her sentence as they heard footsteps coming from the forest. They both looked at the forms, which were appearing on the road. And after several seconds, they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"Teruki! Setsuna!" Michiru cried, happy. The couple then ran toward the dark haired woman, who was trying to keep walking. Her feet were hurting her like hell.

"We were so worried about you! What happened?" Haruka asked, seeing the blood on Teruki's forehead.

"We got an accident on the way. Setsuna twisted her ankle and she has a high fever." The Todai student answered, looking at the dark green haired woman on her back. She was still sleeping.

"Oh god, she is burning. Why didn't you go to the hospital, instead coming here?" Michiru touched at Setsuna's forehead, guilty to not have noticed it sooner.

"She insisted in coming at the party." Teruki simply answered. "She is really stubborn."

"Indeed" Haruka remarked. Then she noticed how pale Michiru became. She went by her side and hugged her. "It's not your fault love."

"It is. It's because I wanted her to be here, that she insisted, even with a fever like that…" Michiru cried.

"Shhh non sense. It's not your fault. And for the moment, we need to find a doctor."

"Don't worry, my daughter is a doctor, I'm sure, she will help you. Plus, there are some rooms available for you. It's better for you to stay for the night." Shing Xia-san announced. He arrived shortly after Haruka and Michiru. As the host of the event, he had to take care of his guests, and didn't hesitate to provide a shelter for them tonight.

"Thank you a lot, Shing Xia-san" Michiru said, relieved that everything was all right now.

-X-

It was three in the morning. All the guests have left the mansion right now. No sounds, no laughs, only silence. Everything was quiet, except for one bedroom where a voice could be heard.

"I'm sorry Setsuna. All of this is because of me." Teruki whispered, guilty. Setsuna's fever got worse, which worried everyone. But Teruki insisted on taking care of the dark green haired woman, while the others went to bed. They needed their rest after all the stress they had. Moreover, Teruki considered herself as the one responsible of Setsuna's condition. She should have insisted in not going to Shing Xia's mansion and stayed at home.

Teruki noticed that the cloth on Setsuna's head was hot. So she took and dipped it in cold water, before wringing and putting it back on the tanned woman's forehead. "I'm sorry" Teruki whispered again. Suddenly she heard the door opening. She looked at the door, and saw Hotaru.

"Oh little one, you shouldn't be asleep already?"

"Well…" Hotaru was surprised that Teruki was still awake. She wanted to heal her mother quickly, but now she couldn't, so she didn't know what to say to explain her presence here.

Teruki smiled and patted the chair next to her. "There little one" Hotaru hesitated first and then took the seat.

"You're not sleeping too?" The little girl asked. "You must be tired too." She looked at the dark haired woman's forehead, which was wrapped by a bandage and her feet, wrapped as well.

"Yes, I am. But, I feel guilty so I couldn't sleep."

"Guilty?"

"Yes, it's because I wasn't looking at the road when we were driving, I didn't see the deer…"

"What were you looking at?"

"What?...Well…" Teruki didn't know what to say. She was not sure that saying she was looking at her mother would be a good idea.

"Setsuna-mama was really beautiful tonight, wasn't she?"

Teruki stayed silent a moment, before she nodded. Hotaru was really perceptive.

"Yes she was"

"Do you like her?"

"What?"

"Do you like her?"

"You know you're really smart for your age?"

"I get told that a lot"

"Well…I like her, but she doesn't seem to like me…"

-X-

Setsuna woke up lately in the morning, the bedroom filled with sunlight. Slowly, she was trying to rememorize the events of yesterday evening. The only things she remembered were the accident and someone taking care of her while she was in the bed.

"Suna? Are you alright?" Setsuna noticed finally that Michiru was by her side, happy.

"I…I…" The guardian of time hoarsely spoke.

"Shhh Suna, don't try to speak for the moment. Here a glass of water." The violinist helped the tanned woman to drink. The cold liquid in her throat was like paradise, and Setsuna was feeling better already.

At the same time, a woman entered the bedroom. The guardian of time didn't recognize her. She was tall, as tall as her maybe. Her short hair was black, like Teruki she thought. Teruki? Suddenly Setsuna asked herself where the student could be.

"I see that Meioh-san is awake" The woman noticed.

"Indeed Shing Xia-san" Michiru replied.

"Oh come on, you can call me Chiyo"

"Okay Chiyo-san" Michiru smiled.

Finally Setsuna understood that Chiyo Shing Xia was the one who got married last night.

"Well I just wanted to see if everything was all right, I think I can leave now" The doctor stated.

"Again, thanks a lot. Sorry for disturbing you during your wedding and honeymoon" Michiru blushed at the thought.

"Oh no problem, it was fun in fact. My husband had to wait for me. It was really interesting because of that." The doctor laughed, before saying good-bye. Michiru and Setsuna were in loss of words, but laughed eventually.

The room went silent shortly after. But suddenly, Michiru closed her book she was reading and glared at Setsuna, who was taken aback by the sudden action.

"Michiru?"

"Never do that again!"

"What?"

"Insisting in coming to a party, knowing that you were sick, for me. Hell, Setsuna! I was so worried!.

"I'm sorry Michiru, it's just that after what you said last week, I didn't want to disappoint you…"

"You'll never disappoint me Suna, never! So please, never do that again."

"Okay, I'm sorry"

Michiru smiled. "You're forgiven, now go back to bed"

Both women smiled. Setsuna leaned back on her bed to rest. Indeed, she was still tired, and her fever was not entirely gone. But suddenly, she remembered something and turned toward Michiru, who was back to her reading.

"Is Teruki there?"

"Teruki? Oh she had to go to take care of her car."

"I see" Setsuna was quite disappointed; she had thought that the black haired student would stay, but after all, it was Michiru who had invited her. So she didn't have to stay for her. Setsuna closed her eyes. She remembered now that Teruki carried her all the way toward the mansion. She remembered now her warmth, and the sweetness she showed. No matter what she does, Setsuna couldn't stop falling for her. It was a fact she couldn't deny anymore. She had to admit it. She was in love with Teruki. But, sadly, it might be too late.

-X-

"Teruki-san?" Haruka asked. But no answer

"Teruki-san" She insisted. But Teruki was deeply asleep, and it seemed that nothing could wake her up for the moment. The blonde sighed. Indeed she stayed awake until sunrise. Michiru insisted that she should rest a little, but the student wanted to go back to her car. She had to deal with the insurance. So right now Haruka was driving her to her vehicle. But the more the time passed and the more the car racer was surprised that Teruki was able to walk a so long distance between the mansion and the vehicle with Setsuna on her back.


	5. With a new challenger

AN: Sorry to not update more often. I didn't give up this story, but my betareader was recently really busy. Since I didn't want to pressure her more, I found another betareader. Thanks again JustFineEnough ^^

So normally, there will be more updates soon.

Thanks everyone for your comments.

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><p>Chapter 5: … With a new challenger<p>

Setsuna fell on her bed, exhausted. Finally the last of her midterm exams was over. It was vacation now. After all these times in her bedroom studying, she could finally relax now. As she was laying on her bed and looking at her ceiling, Setsuna let her mind wander. Automatically, she thought of Teruki. But this time, she was used to it. Since Chiyo's wedding a few months ago, she couldn't deny it anymore. She was in love with Teruki. And the more the time passed, the more she was sure of it. Through the past months, she had learned so much about the dark-haired woman. At first she seemed flirty, but in reality she was the sweetest person she had ever met. The car accident during the wedding was the proof. After that day, when Setsuna had met Teruki again, the latter didn't stop apologizing to her. But the guardian of time only smiled and said that everything was all right and she forgave her. But the student insisted in inviting her for the lunch. It was nice. They talked about everything and nothing at the same time, each enjoying the presence of the other. Unfortunately, it was the only occasion when Teruki would invite her out anywhere, only to apologize. They met a lot and talked a lot, but it was only because Michiru invited the dark-haired student, when she andHaruka were going out. Each time Teruki would accept, surely because of the violinist. Setsuna was not blind. Teruki was interested in Michiru; otherwise, she wouldn't accept all those invitations. A single tear dropped from Setsuna's eyes at this idea. Again, she was alone. She had missed her chance and it was killing her. She felt more tears on her cheeks, and it took her several minutes to realize that she was crying. With her arms, she tried to stop the tears from falling, but it was no use. She just couldn't stop them.

"Why?" She whimpered and cried. "Why!"

It was her destiny to be the lone senshi, and it seemed that she would always be. No one was at home but Setsuna, so no one was able to hear her crying until she felt asleep, tired.

-X-

Haruka was pissed. Right now she was with Michiru, walking through the town to enjoy the day. Having finished their mid-exams two hours ago, it was the beginning of the holidays for them too. Michiru wanted to feel the fresh air again after having to stay at home to study. It was a perfect day. But Haruka was not pissed off by that, but more so by a certain dark-haired tomboy. In fact, the blonde racer has noticed that Teruki has been hanging with them for several months since Chiyo Shing Xia's wedding. They were friends so it was supposed to be normal. But, each time it was Michiru who invited her. And recently, Michiru has been talking about Teruki a lot. It was scaring Haruka. She tried several times to invite Michiru out for a lovely night alone. But each time, her girlfriend would invite Setsuna AND Teruki. Moreover, she was distancing herself from Haruka.

In short, Haruka was afraid that Michiru was interested in Teruki and not in her anymore; and she couldn't stand it. It was killing her. What had she done to make her lover seeing someone else? Wasn't she good enough? She couldn't understand why she would prefer this student. The more she thought about it, the more she hated Teruki. How could this woman be better than her?

"Are you alright Haruka?" Michiru's question made the blond snapping out of her thoughts. She looked at the aqua haired girl, surprised. "You don't seem well."

"No, it's okay Michiru. Maybe I'm a little tired because of those damned mid-exams."

"Yeah, I totally understand." Michiru laughed.

This image of Michiru made Haruka's chest tightened. Her smile disappeared. It was true then. Haruka Tenoh was afraid of losing Michiru Kaioh, because, she knew that she would never be able to survive if her sea nymph left her. The violinist had stolen her heart, that's why she was afraid. She had so much doubt; she was afraid that Michiru would leave one day to live with Teruki. It was impossible, right? How could Michiru live without her?

"Ah Ruki Ruki?" Michiru exclaimed, running toward said woman. This action made Haruka snap as she saw her only love hugging the woman she hated the most at this moment. Teruki was surprised as well to see the couple here. She was wandering in the city to have some fresh air and visit the city too. It was a pure coincidence that she was in the same district as them.

"What are you doing here?" The aqua haired girl asked.

"Well just wandering, that's all." Teruki simply replied.

"Then why not come with us?"

"Ah? I'm not sure Michiru-chan. After all, you're with Haruka…"

"I'm sure she will agree, how about it, Ruka?"

"No!" Haruka simply stated, the voice low.

"What?" Michiru replied quite surprised by the answer. "Ruka?"

"I'm fed up with all these invitations. Wherever we go, you always invited her. What…what does she have that I don't?""

"What are you talking about, Ruka? It's not…" Michiru started to say.

"Then, what is it? Say it!"

But Michiru stayed silent, she couldn't tell in front of Teruki that it was to put Setsuna and her together. The silence between the two of them became unbearable. Haruka slowly closed her eyes and turned to leave.

"I'm going home. Go walking with her if you want." The blonde stated as she walked away.

During the next few moments, Michiru was too shocked to move. She was trying to register all the events that had passed some seconds ago. She couldn't believe what happened, it was unrealistic and impossible. But it did happen.

It took several minutes for Teruki to wake up Michiru from her state. She jumped.

"Michiru-chan, I think you should go after Haruka-san."

"Y…yes."

So, Michiru ran.

-X-

Michiru opened the door of the mansion, tired and furious. She had tried to catch up with Haruka shortly after leaving Teruki, but the blonde was too fast and had already taken the car to go home. So Michiru had to ask Teruki to bring her back home. So now she was in the mansion, glaring at Haruka who was on the couch, her head in her hands.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Michiru shouted. But she got nothing in response. "Answer me."

"I thought you wanted to walk with Tao-san." The blonde simply replied, her voice low.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not blind Michiru! All those weekends, you were inviting her, spending time with her. We never have any single time alone anymore, even today!"

Michiru didn't know how to respond; she couldn't believe what she was hearing. 'It was not that' she wanted to say. She only wanted to pair Teruki with Setsuna. But when she tried to explain herself, her heart skipped a beat when she heard Haruka's next words.

"If you love her so much, go and f…"

SLAP.

The room went silent. Haruka raised slowly her hand to touch her red cheek, still feeling the tingling sensations. The car racer looked at her girlfriend, who was beyond fury. She was disappointed.

"I can't believe that you would ever think that, Haruka. I thought you trusted me." Her voice was faint as she glared at the blonde with tears in her eyes.

"Michiru…" Haruka tried to speak; finally back to her sense. But Michiru stopped her by walking back towards the front door.

"I'm leaving, if you insist! I will go with Teruki then."

"No Michiru!" But it was too late, the aqua haired girl was already outside, getting in her personal car and driving away.

Haruka suddenly fell on the couch, and then put her head in her hands again. 'This was not happening' She tried to reassure herself. It can't be true. She was so afraid to lose Michiru that she lost her temper, and said what she shouldn't have said. She felt tears on her face. But today she didn't care that she was showing any signs of weakness. After all, she lost her reason to live. She was losing her strength little by little. She was lost; she didn't what to do. Everything around her reminded her of Michiru. The thought of Michiru and Teruki together, alone, kissing couldn't make her angry, she was desperate. She knew that it was her fault. So what can she do?

"What I have done?" She asked to herself.

"Haruka?"

The blonde raised her head slowly, recognizing Setsuna's voice. Indeed, the tanned woman had to pick up Hotaru from school earlier. It was a surprise for her to enter the mansion and seeing a hopeless Haruka on the couch. Immediately, the time guardian knew that something was wrong and asked Hotaru to go to her bedroom. The teenager slowly left, knowing that her parents needed some time alone.

Soon after, Setsuna sat next to Haruka.

"What's wrong Haruka?"

"She is gone."

"Michiru?"

"Yes. She is gone, and it was all my fault."

"Where did she go?"

"With Teruki."

It was a simple and brief answer. But for Setsuna, it meant the world. The time stopped for her. How ironic it was, isn't it? At these words, the dark green haired woman was as hopeless as her friend. Until the end, she was hoping that she had a tiny chance with Teruki. But now it was gone now. If only she wasn't so stubborn about her feelings. Setsuna wanted to cry, but right now she had to be the strong one for Haruka. After all, she was the one who was suffering the most. So with care, the time guardian took the blonde racer in her arms.

"Shh, Haruka. I'm sure everything will be alright."

That was it. That was all Haruka needed to let it go. So she cried. Setsuna hugged her tighter. "It's okay." She whispered. "Everything will be all right" Setsuna touched Haruka's forehead with her own. They stayed like that for a while, until the cries slow stopping. Suddenly, Setsuna laughed.

"Don't start falling in love with me, okay?"

Haruka smiled.

"Because you know, it's not that I don't like you, but you know…"

"I know." Haruka laughed. "Thanks anyway."

"Good you're back. After all you are the strongest one among us."

"You know that Michiru is the strongest one, without her I am nothing anymore"

Setsuna smiled. It was so true. Those two senshis were bound by a unique and strong link. It was a rare thing. During all the time she was guarding The Door of Time; Haruka and Michiru were the only ones whose bond was the strongest. They could easily communicate without words, they would understand each other like no one else, and sadly, they could die for each other too. It even happened more than once. Setsuna was a little bit envious of them. Secretly, she had dreamed a lot about the one who would protect her. The idea of Teruki with Michiru didn't help in making this dream a reality.

"Come on, I'm going to make dinner, I'll do your favorite salad". Setsuna stated, trying to forget all her problems for the moment to help her friend.

"Thanks Sets-chan. What would I do without you?" Haruka smiled.

"You would burn down the entire mansion." Setsuna quipped, making the racer laughed again.

-X-

Teruki jumped, her concentration interrupted by a loud knock on her front door. After studying during a week non-stop, the only thing the student wanted to do right now was to free her mind for the day, and the only thing she could do right now was drawing. It was a good way for her to relax and forget everything, like all of her doubts and insecurities. Moreover, she was expected no one today, since only Rain and Hail knew about her address; and she was totally sure that Rain was too busy with Kasumi, and Hail too occupied with her next concert, to come at this hour to talk to her. Slowly she went to her front door and opened it. She was more than surprised to see Michiru, in tears.

"Michiru-chan? What…" But Teruki was cut off by Michiru, who jumped in her arms, crying louder. Not knowing what to do, the black haired woman hugged the violinist back to reassure her. Then slowly, she helped her walking toward the couch.

"Do you want something to drink?" Teruki asked. But Michiru shook her head, quietly. So Teruki sat next to her and she waited. The silence was really heavy in her small apartment, but she waited for Michiru to speak first. It was obvious that something was wrong, and surely it was about her and Haruka. But what could she do if she knew nothing. But the shorter girl stayed silent.

"What happened Michi-chan?" Teruki eventually whispered. Michiru tried to keep looking at the Todai student, but she couldn't stop more tears from falling. She began to cry again and Teruki continued to comfort her.

"We had a fight." Michiru whispered. Her voice was so faint that the black haired girl was not sure she said something.

"It happens sometimes."

"Yes, but this time, it was really a big fight. I… I'm not sure that…that…" She couldn't finish her sentence. She was too afraid of the reality she was facing.

"Why did you have a fight?"

"Because Haruka thought that I am in love with you."

"Oh and I thought you liked me" Teruki joked, sounding hurt.

Michiru smiled, before punching the woman on the shoulder.

"Seriously" Teruki added. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm in love with someone else."

"Oh oh…May I know who the lucky one is?"

"Nope"

"Come on! At least her age, or her height…"

"Why not her name in that case?"

"Really?"

"In your dreams."

Michiru pouted, which made laugh Teruki. At least she was not crying anymore. But soon after, sadness overcame the violinist once again.

"I don't understand. I thought she trusted me. How could she think that I could ever leave her" Michiru wondered.

"You know." Teruki stated. "Sometimes, even for perfect couples, there may be doubts. Sometimes, if you don't show the other that you still lover her, she may be unsure."

Silently, the violinist listened her friend, while trying to remember the past months. Her heart clenched in her chest as she remembered each time she rejected Haruka to arrange a meeting between Teruki and Setsuna. No wonder she was angry today. She just wanted to spend some time with her. Who could she blame her?

"What have I done?" Michiru finally wondered.

"Don't worry, I'm sure everything will be fine." Teruki tried to reassure her.

"No, no. She must hate me right now!

"Non sense! She loves you. That's certain."

"But…"

"Believe me."

Michiru stayed silent. She wanted so much to believe, but she was also afraid that everything was over. It was her fault. She was guilty. Right now she was scared.

"Ruki ruki?"

"Yes?"

"Can I stay here for the night? I…I'm not sure that I'm prepared to see Haruka right now…I…"

"You can stay as long as you want, I have no problem with it."

"Thanks"

"Just one question. How did you figure out where I live?"

"Oh I asked Hail to give me your address."

"I see. Then, let's go out, I'm famished right now." Teruki smiled, her stomach growling.

Michiru laughed before nodding.

-X-

_RING._

Quickly, Teruki grabbed her phone, trying to not waking Michiru up. They were back from the restaurant and Michiru immediately fell asleep on the bed, exhausted by the events of today.

"Moshi moshi?" The black haired woman spoke.

"Teruki-san?"

"Oh hi little one." The student smiled.

"Stop calling me that! I'm 14 years old!"

The mathematician laughed, amused by the little girl's behavior. "Ha ha, when you are taller than me, I'll call you Hotaru-chan."

"No fair! You're too tall."

"Ha ha! Anyway, is there anything wrong little one? And how did you get my phone number?"

"About your phone number, that was easy. I took Setsuna mama's cell phone, found Hail-san's number and called her to ask for it."

Teruki sweat dropped, Hail surely had a lot of calls tonight. "Have I already said that you're really intelligent for your age?"

"Ah ah, yes. Anyway, I'm calling you to find out if Michiru-mama is with you?"

"Ah…yes…listen little one, it's not what you think…"

"Don't worry I know. You told me that you loved Setsuna-mama. So I'm sure it was a misunderstanding." Teruki let out a relieved sigh. "But Haruka-papa is really depressed because of it" Hotaru continued.

"I can understand." Teruki agreed.

"So I wondered if tomorrow we could make them meet at the park. I'm sure Michiru-mama doesn't want to see Haruka-papa right now. They are all so stubborn."

"Yeah, it seems that all of your parents are really stubborn."

"Anyway, is that okay for you?"

"Totally!"

"Good!"

-X-

It was sunny today, but for Haruka it had no meanings. She was tired and restless. Hotaru had asked her to come with her to the park, to have a breath of fresh air. But it was no use. She couldn't live without Michiru and that was not an understatement. She was like an empty shell; she had no meaning without Michiru. But she had to stay strong for her daughter, so she accepted. So right now, they were walking in the park, with Setsuna, who recently seemed a little bit down also. Hotaru was in front of them, curiously carrying a bouquet of flower in her hands. The blonde had asked the little girl earlier about them but she only replied that it was for her friend. Right now the little firefly was looking around her as if she was looking for someone.

"Hime-chan, are you looking for someone? Haruka asked.

"Yeah, normally they should be there…Ah! Teruki-san!"

Haruka's heart skipped a bit at the name of the person. She didn't know if she should get angry and killing the student or go into hiding so she would not see Michiru and Teruki cuddling or worse.

"Hi there little one!"

Haruka stopped and stayed silent while she looked at the two people in front of her. She saw the tall figure first and tried to not punch her laughing face. Right now, Haruka Tenoh was seeing red. Finally her green eyes moved to and stayed on the smaller figure to Teruki's left. Haruka's face softened at the image of the sea nymph. She was so beautiful and perfect. The racer hadn't notice how lucky she was during all this time. However, Haruka was surprised to see how unsure Michiru looked, unsure like her.

"Hotaru! My name is Hotaru!" The little girl insisted.

Teruki laughed, caressing Hotaru's head to tousle her hair.

"Do you want an ice cream? We should leave your Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama alone, shouldn't we?" The black haired woman proposed.

"Yup. Come on Setsuna-mama!" Hotaru exclaimed.

Setsuna didn't know what to do. This was a really huge surprised for her. Yesterday she had learned that Teruki was with Michiru. She was devastated, seeing her worst nightmare being realized. Today, it seemed that Teruki and Michiru were not together, or at the very least Michiru was standing close to Teruki. Quietly she followed her daughter and her friend toward the ice cream vendor, letting the two lovers surprised and stunned by this turn of events. Suddenly Hotaru stop, saying that she forgot something, before going back toward her papa and giving her the flowers. "For mama" Again, she ran next to Teruki, who laughed again and continued walking away with Setsuna following behind.

Miciru didn't expect that. When Teruki proposed to her to go outside, she didn't think that she would meet Haruka. She was not ready yet. She just was not. She didn't know what to say to her and was terrified to hear what would be said to her. She knew that hateful words would finish off her already broken heart. So she was stood in front of the racer, unable to move. She saw Hotaru giving the flowers to Haruka before leaving with Teruki and Setsuna. Her heart beat harder when she saw her soul mate walking toward her to give her the bouquet.

"Michiru." Haruka began. "I…I…" She was trying to say something. But as usual she didn't know how to say it. Just as always, Haruka was not good with words. But the violinist noticed that she was trying to do her best. "I'm sorry Michiru."

At these three words, Michiru felt a heavy weight leave her shoulder. She was so relieved of Haruka's reaction that she didn't know what to say; She was speechless. It was really difficult for Haruka to apologize.

However, the sand-haired girl didn't take the silence well. She began to think about how it might just be too late for apologizes. 'I knew it' She thought. 'It was too late and I went too far. Damn you Tenoh!' So she started walking away, depressed again. Haruka was using all her strength to not crying in front of Michiru, not wanting to show her weakness. But it was really difficult for her, because this silence meant that Michiru didn't want her anymore, and that she couldn't support it. Even the wind couldn't comfort her; her broken heart was already dead.

The aqua haired girl started panicking, aware that her girlfriend didn't interpret her reaction well. She grabbed Haruka's hand before she was too far away to do so.

"Wait!" She cried.

Haruka stopped and turned back, with a little hope. Michiru noticed her teal eyes full of tears.

"I'm sorry Haruka." The sea nymph whispered. "I should be the one who should apologize. I'm an idiot. I was so focused in putting Setsuna and Teruki together that I totally neglected you. I'm so sorry." Michiru felt tears well up in her eyes too and fall down her face. She tried to stop them but was unable to do so. Without warning, she felt a soft hand on her cheek. She looked up at Haruka. She could see a glimpse of happiness behind her eyes, but a little bit disappointment too.

"Why you didn't tell me about that?" Haruka asked, her voice gentle.

"I don't know…I…I…I don't know." While Michiru tried to find an answer, she felt strong arms wrap around her. Haruka was hugging her very tightly.

"Idiot, you know you can tell me anything." The blonde racer whispered in the aqua haired girl's ear.

At these words, Michiru couldn't wait anymore and hugged her lover back. They stayed like that for a moment for a while until eventually they kissed.

"They are so cute." Teruki exclaimed. Setsuna and Hotaru smiled. They were back from buying ice creams. But after seeing the two lovebirds in an intimate posture, they decided to stay away for a moment, not wanting to disturb them.

After watching for a while, Setsuna looked at the mathematician. She hesitated to ask, but she needed to be sure.

"So Michiru and you were not together?"

"Nope. We are just friends. I'm not the kind of person who is into breaking up couples."

"So you are free?" Hotaru asked, finishing her ice cream.

"Yes, why? You want to be my girlfriend?" Teruki ruffled the little girl's hair, amused.

"If it means that I will get more ice creams, hell yes!"

"Ha ha! Sorry little one, but I'm in love with someone else."

Setsuna froze. 'With who?' She wanted to ask. But she was afraid to do so. It may be her or it could very well not be. This idea made her chest tense. Now, when she thought she had a chance, another obstacle was putting in front of her. She was tired of this.

"Setsuna-san? Are you alright?"

"Ah yes Teruki-san. Don't worry."

Seeing these two being so blind, Hotaru couldn't help releasing a sigh. She hoped that when she was older, she wouldn't be blind like her mama.

"Hime-chan and the others are taking a long time." Haruka noticed, caressing Michiru's hand with her own. They have decided to sit on a bench to wait for their friends. But with the more time that passed, the more worried they became.

"I'm sure Setsuna is enjoying her time with Teruki, don't worry."

"If you say so."

"When they come back, I want you to apologize to Teruki." Michiru was adamant.

"What? Why?"

"Because even if it was my fault, you were very rude to her."

"But Michiru…"

"No buts."

"How do you want me to apologize to someone so ridiculously tall!"

"Come one Haruka don't tell me you are scared because she is only a centimeter taller than you."

"No it's not that!"

"So there is no problem in apologizing."

"… Okay okay, I'll do it when they are back."

-X-

Teruki sighed, happy to be at home, but also happy to see Haruka and Michiru back together. She would have been really sad and felt really guilty to see those two, who were so much in love apart because of her. Now that they were together again, maybe finally she was finally going to get along with Haruka. She laughed at today's memories. It was quite amusing to see the proud blonde trying to apologize to her. But what mattered the most to Teruki today was that she was able to see Setsuna again.

Suddenly a ringing sound made Teruki snap out of her thoughts. She looked her phone but no one was calling her. After some seconds of reflection, she understood what was ringing. So she quickly went to her drawers and took out a small black device. A red light was flashing on it. Easily, she pushed several buttons, then put the device on the floor and , a bright light illuminated the place before giving way to a hologram of a young woman who was the exact replica of Teruki, only with longer hair. Moreover, this person looked more mature, composed, and a little unsure in comparison to Teruki, who incarnated wildness, liberation, and sureness.

"Hi Tora!" Teruki said, cheerful.

"Hi Nee-chan."

"It has been a while, ne?"

"Sorry for that, we wanted to call you earlier, but we had some problems here."

"Some problems" Teruki was getting worried. "It's Shin, isn't it?"

"Indeed, I received a call from Tsuchi'Wakusei, Taku was assassinated yesterday. There're only 3 left…"

"Tora, I should go back. I know it was me who decided to leave. But I don't want you to get hurt. It would be better for the two of us to switch places."

"I would be more than willing to do so. As I said you should be the one ruling our kingdom…"

"No, you're the most suitable for that, I am sure of it."

"Anyway, I would accepted it months ago, but now I see that it's impossible."

"What? Why?"

"Because first, I, too, don't want to see you hurt. Second, I can see you are in love Teru." Tora smiled, looking at her twin sister.

"How…?"

"Come on nee-chan, don't forget to whom you are speaking."

Teruki smiled shortly after. She forgot about that tiny detail. "How is Tsuya?"

"Good, she is working as usual. So…" However Tora didn't finish her sentence because she felt a hand on her back. She turned around and smiled.

"Who is the lucky one?" The new person asked.

"Tian Xia!" Teruki exclaimed.

Tian Xia was the twins' best friend and their advisor. She also had deep black short hair and was quite tall. But the biggest differences were her glasses not to mention the dog-ears and tail on her figure. In reality, she was not entirely human. Tian Xia was a lycanthrope, a werewolf. She may look as old as the twins, but she was actually much older. She was even their parent's advisor.

"Hi there" the half dog said.

"Hi." Teruki replied. Suddenly, she remembered something. "Ah, that reminds me of something…how did you know my room was a mess the last time you called?"

"Well…" Tian Xian was thinking of a good excuse.

"Don't tell me you hacked the camera of the "camogram"!" Teruki pointed the black device on the floor.

"You can't prove that I did that!."

Tian Xia and Tora laughed. Tora spoke soon after. " So as Tian Xia asked earlier, who is the lucky woman?"

"Well…" Teruki blushed, which was really rare. "Her name is Setsuna Meioh. She is the most beautiful, intelligent woman I have ever met."

"Does she know that you love her." Asked Tian Xia.

"Not really, she doesn't seem to love me back, so that's why."

"Come on, who would resist to your charms"

"She does."

"Ohhhh, She is more than interesting then." Tora noticed, smiling. "Really, I'm sure that she loves you Teru."

"How can you say that? You haven't even meet her"

"My sixth sense."

Teruki was going to reply when she sensed something outside. "I think I need to leave you, some monsters are attacking the city"

"Ah, playing the super hero" Tian Xia quipped.

"A part of it actually, I'm only helping the sailor senshi, that's all." The mathematician answered as her hair became fire-like red, and her clothes changed into a black outfit. A mask appeared in her hand and she put it on her face."

"And you choose the image of Akamen to do so, the hero's ally of your manga?" Tora noticed.

"Why not?" Teruki replied.

"Funny" Tian Xia stated. "Then go, the city need your help." She continued with a dramatic tone.

"Okay okay, then see ya!"

"Bye" Both holograms said before disappearing. Shortly after, Akamen left her apartment to help the sailor senshi.


	6. Happy Birthday!

Chapter 6: Happy birthday

_It was the same dream again. Again, she dreamed of him, the masked man Akamen. Like the last time, she was naked on the bed with only a thin blanket to cover her, next to his fully dressed body. She felt his lips on her neck and shivered by their softness on her heated skin. Her bliss was so high she couldn't suppress a moan, as his hands caressed her whole body, taking their time in touching each and every part of her. She didn't understand how she could react like this. He was not the person she was in love with, so why did it feel so good? Suddenly, her eyes closed and her world exploded in pleasure when his left hand reached the forbidden treasure between her legs. "Oh God!" she panted. The masked man smiled, enjoying the view. Her moans filled the room and, on occasion, his ministration would make her jump in pleasure, which only caused his own arousal to increase. Finally, she opened her eyes to look at this man. Her eyes widened as she saw those dark brown eyes; eyes she knew all too well. Slowly, Setsuna removed his mask and froze. "T…Teruki?" She whispered while staring at the now woman, whose red hair became black. Setsuna's hands went down to Teruki's jacket to open it. Surprise came to the guardian of time when she saw breasts underneath the black shirt. "Teruki…" she started but was silenced when lips found hers. She immediately forgot what she wanted to say._

"_Shhh" Teruki hushed gently against Setsuna's ear. That alone was enough for Setsuna to let herself relax completely. She put her arms around the black haired woman's neck and kissing her back. It was so sweet and it felt so right. She wanted to stay like this forever. _

_Soon, Setsuna was short in breath. She couldn't think properly, and, at the same tim, she was subconsciously thrilled by the wonders Teruki was doing with her left hand. She wanted to feel the taller woman, all of her, and she didn't want to let her go. She grabbed hold of Teruki's hair; she was so close, and Teruki seemed to know it as well. Teruki smiled and increased her rhythm. _

"_T…Te…ruki…" Setsuna panted. She couldn't wait anymore. She was at her limit._

"_Let's show you the lights then." Teruki simply answered._

_Indeed, Setsuna saw bright, beautiful lights as she came. She felt the vigorous assault of the explosion of all those blissful sensations._

Setsuna opened her eyes. She was breathing heavily, sweating profusely, and, more than anything, she was shocked. Mechanically, Setsuna ran her hand through her messy hair. Then, she kicked her blanket to have some fresh hair. She couldn't deny it. She was hot, especially after having a vivid dream like that. Every time she dreamed of this mysterious Akamen, he would please her. But it had never gotten that far in her fantasies, and she never had dreamed of Teruki doing the pleasing. This was the first time that that has ever happened. Setsuna blushed as she recalled her dream and eventually, a smile lit up her face. What can she say? She had enjoyed every second of that dream. After all she had the ride of her life with the one she loved.

A little exhausted, the guardian of time was tempted to go back to sleep, however, her crimson eyes caught glimpse of the clock next to the bed and subsequently widened. Immediately, Setsuna got up. She was late. Last week, Rain asked her to pose for a project of hers. At first, she was quite reluctant. Ever since Michiru tried to force her to pose with Teruki, she had been really cautious to avoid that type of situation. Not that she didn't want to do it, but she really hated surprises. Being all-knowing about the past, present and future, Setsuna had learned long ago that it was not a good sign to encounter the unexpected. For some people, it was more interesting to have some surprises if they were omniscient. It would give a bit of spice in their lives. But for Setsuna, it meant that her fate didn't belong to her, that she couldn't forge it as she wanted. So she hated surprises. But after fifty calls from Rain in ONE day, she accepted Rain's request. So with haste, the tanned woman went to her bathroom. But she stopped suddenly when she noticed her calendar. Again, dark red eyes widened at the sudden realization.

"I'm going to kill them." She grunted before taking her shower.

In the kitchen, Hotaru was enjoying her breakfast, trying to stuff all of her foods in her mouth at once. Haruka and Michiru, who were eating as well, were watching her.

"Slow down Hime-chan, we are not in a hurry." Haruka laughed.

"Haruka!" Setsuna shouted. She had just finished taking her shower, getting dressed, and now she was fuming. "Michiru!"

"Yes, Suna suna?" Michiru asked, amused. It was a matter of time before Setsuna would notice what day it was today.

"Are you behind this joke?"

"What joke?" Haruka asked, faking innocence.

"Rain asking me to pose for her on my birthday so that means I will probably not be at home during the entire day. Which means you can organize a surprise party for me."

"Well, it's not a surprised party anymore, since you know that we're organizing it." Haruka replied.

Setsuna tried to reply but she didn't know what to say. "That's…not the point Haruka."

At those words, Haruka's smile widened. Michiru smiled as well, knowing that, Setsuna was trapped in Haruka's lair again. Really, she could be a real devil.

"Come on Setsuna-mama, I'm sure you'll like the party, I even helped Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama. So don't dare to not come." Hotaru insisted, swallowing the last piece of her breakfast.

Michiru's smile widened more and winked at her daughter. Her little firefly knew that her Setsuna-mama couldn't refuse anything when she asked like this, so now it was impossible for the guardian of time to refuse. The trap was settled, and was definitely unbreakable with two demons like Haruka and Hpotaru. Michiru laughed, as she saw Setsuna's unsure and torn expression between refusing and accepting. Like father, like daughter.

Setsuna sighed deeply. Two against one? That's was not fair. "Fine, I'm going. But, don't do something flashy or anything, I just want something simple."

"We will try." Haruka smirked. "Now go, you're late and I'm sure you don't want to make Rain wait."

Setsuna glared suspiciously at Haruka, suspicious of something. But she couldn't do anything right now, so she left the mansion to go to Geidai, Rain and Hail's university.

"Do you think she knows?" Michiru asked Haruka, while she was washing the dishes.

"No, she might find out about the party, but I'm pretty sure that she knows nothing about her presents." Haruka replied while preparing herself to leave. Hotaru quickly and excited did the same. "Hime-chan, let's go." The little girl nodded then ran towards the front door, but stopped to wait for her father. Haruka smiled, amused by the excitement of her daughter.

"What's the planning for today?" Michiru wanted to be sure that everything would be ready when Setsuna came back.

"I'm going to pick up the cake at Makoto's home and buy some things we need for tonight."

"Okay, then I will clean up the mansion, until the others come."

Haruka grinned, then she came closer to her lover to kiss her. "See you later then".

"Papa! We're going to be late." Hotaru shouted from already inside the car.

"I wonder who's the most excited here." Haruka laughed.

"It must be because she had one of the most exciting presents." Michiru simply replied.

"Like Teruki." Haruka smirked.

-X-

Rain was already there when Setsuna arrived in the parking. She was sitting on a bench, trying to occupy herself by drawing in her sketchpad. Without thinking, the latter readjusted her glasses on her nose, not aware of Setsuna's presence, and continued her sketches.

"You know that it's dangerous to stay under the sun too long?" Setsuna tried to catch Rain's attention. It worked, as the red haired girl raised her head to see who was speaking to her.

"Oh! Setsuna-san, you're here!" Rain exclaimed.

"Sorry I am late, didn't sleep much." The time guardian whispered at the end.

"No problem, let's begin right away then. Follow me."

"Where is your sister?" Setsuna remarked.

"Oh she is waiting in the room. She didn't want to stay under this bright and beautiful sun." The artist grinned.

Both students entered the university, which was crowded by artists, musicians and others. Like Todai, Geidai was a prestigious art school, and one of the oldest on the country. Elegance and grandeur defined this school, in both its arts and its music. As Setsuna was walking by Rain's side, she couldn't detach her eyes from the buildings and artistic realizations, which paved the roads inside the campus. Geidai had nothing to envy from Todai. "It's here." Rain finally said as she stopped in front of a small, simple building. "I reserved the room for the entire day, so no one will disturb us. Come in."

When Setsuna entered the room, odors of oil paints and turpentine invaded her nostrils. It was obviously an art classroom. All the materials were stocked in the back of the room, next to several canvases of different sizes. Hail was sitting on her chair situated in the center of the room, listening to some music, coming from the corner of the romm.

"Ah? Finally our subject is here?" Hail smiled, feigning boredom.

"Hail, don't tease her, or she won't pose for me." Rain appeared behind Setsuna, already with a canvas in her hands, putting it on an easel.

Setsuna arched an eyebrow at what Rain said. She didn't know why, but she was sure that something was amiss. "I forgot to ask…but…what I need to do?"

Hail's mischievous smile widened, which didn't reassure Setsuna at all. Rain positioned between her and the door, while Setsuna became more uneasy.

"Well, for my project, I need you to pose….well…nude?" Rain grinned brightly.

"What! No way!" Setsuna turned toward Rain, embarrassed. Now she knew why Rain was in front of the door blocking her only exit. "That's utterly impossible!"

"Come on, you are the perfect person for this project. Perfect curves, smooth tanned skin, you're a perfect plastic!" Hail explained. "And no boyfriend nor girlfriend."

"Are you hitting on me?" Setuna asked, still not convinced.

"No but you see my point. You're the only gorgeous woman who is free right now, so a boyfriend or a girlfriend will kill us for having seen you naked."

"You ARE hitting on me!" Setsuna insisted, doing like she didn't hear the musician.

"Of course, no stranger will interrupt us. So you can be reassured no one but us will see you. I promise." Rain added, already in front of her easel waiting for Setsuna. The latter stayed silent, thinking. She sighed. She didn't like it. She had the feeling that everyone was making decisions for her and that her fate didn't belong to her, which made her a bit more frightened. But only for today, she would accept it. After all, they did all of these for her birthday. She couldn't refuse that!

"Okay okay, I'm in."

"Great" Rain exclaimed. "You can remove your clothes behind the curtains there. And…ah… Put these heels also."

"Heels?"

"Yeah, to add some sexiness."

Several minutes later, Setsuna was fully undressed except for a thin blanket to hide her nudity until the Tenki sister had decided about a pose.

"Ready?" Rain asked, installed in front of her easel.

"Yes." Setsuna whispered, embarrassed.

"Then, you can seat on the chair where Hail is on, in the same pose."

"Er…Are you sure about this pose." Setsuna was looking at Hail, who was grinning like always. Hail was being such a sadistic person; it seemed that she enjoyed watching a pretty and embarrassed Setsuna.

"More than sure!"

As Setsuna came closer to the chair, Hail stand up and let her the place, before sitting on another chair next to Rain. Setsuna hesitate but finally sat down on the chair and let the blanket fall to the floor.

Time passed, and eventually, Setsuna succeeded in relaxing a little, probably because of the music. However, she was still embarrassed by the nude thing, especially in a pose like the one she was doing! Suddenly she heard someone knocking on the door and panicked. She thought that no one would disturb them, because really, she didn't want to be seen like this. The door opened, and her heart stopped as she recognized that black spiky hair.

"Ah Teru-chan, you came." Rain and Hail said together.

"Well you asked me to help you, so here I am, even if I don't kn… Setsuna-san?" Teruki stuttered as she noticed the tanned woman in the center of the room.

"Rain, Hail I thought you said that no one will disturb us." Setsuna glared at the sisters, her eyes sharp as blades.

"I said no stranger will disturb us, you know Teru-chan, so she's not a stranger. I need her to help me for the project. I wanted to know if mathematics could really help in painting better, didn't I Teru-chan?"

But Teruki wasn't listening anymore. She was too busy admiring the most beautiful scene in the world. If dazzling beauty could kill, she would have died at least five times in the past few seconds. In front of her, Setsuna was naked. NAKED! 'Oh gosh' Teruki thought.

Setsuna was seated on a chair with the back of it in front of her upper body, so her smooth, long legs were spread apart on both sides. Hence, the black haired girl took pleasure in admiring those perfect inner thighs. Teruki really wanted to touch them and feel their softness. Fortunately, the back of the chair was hiding her most intimate part. Teruki didn't know if her heart would be able to support any of that. Even though the lower half of her body was hidden, the mathematician could see her perfect sculpted flat stomach, and those superb rounded breasts, partly hidden by strands of dark green hair. She felt a tingling sensation in her hands, as she thought about touching them. Setsuna was embarrassed; Teruki could see it because of the light blush that stained her cheeks. So cute. Finally, the black haired woman noticed the heels on Setsuna's feet. That was the icing on the cake. She felt her blood accruing in her head. If she didn't stop looking at Setsuna, she was sure that she would have a nosebleed.

By chance, Hail had put a chair next to Rain for her so Teruki quickly sat down and looked at the easel. That was the wrong idea, however, as she remembered that Rain was painting Setsuna, and that Rain was a really, really good painter. Even though it was unfinished, Teruki could see the exact image of Setsuna on the canvas. It was too much for her, as she felt the first drops of blood running down and out of her nose.

"Oh oh, I never thought that it was so easy to put you in this state." Hail quipped, her voice low so Setsuna couldn't hear her.

"Shut up Hail!" Teruki replied, trying to stop the bleeding with a tissue. Luckily, Setsuna couldn't see since the twins blocked her view. "I should have known you were plotting something"

"At least, you liked it, didn't you?" Rain noticed.

"That's none of your business." Teruki stated. "Anyway, bring me a calculator"

"Ah? And I thought you didn't need any calculators, you do everything in you head." Hail said surprised.

"Normally I do, but right now a sexy woman is perturbing my concentration."

"Okay okay, I'll go get you one."

Setsuna didn't know what was happening. She wanted so much to hear their conversation, but they were whispering on purpose, so she couldn't hear a thing. It worried her more to see Hail leave the room and return a moment later with a calculator in the hands. That meant that Teruki couldn't concentrate properly. She had noticed this fact during one of her presentations. Teruki was sick, so after several minutes, she had asked for a calculator to be sure about her calculus. So right now, Teruki couldn't concentrate because of something. The guardian of time blushed; it may be because of her. Deeply inside her, she wished that was the case. But at the same time, she was afraid that Teruki didn't want to be here and decided to put no real effort into her work. Setsuna groaned. There were too many possibilities and no answer for any of them. So for the moment, she decided to think about nothing and enjoying the time she would spend with Teruki.

Time passed, and the silence became more and more difficult to bear. Occasionally, Setsuna would hear Teruki whispering with the twins. But most of the time only a pregnant silence filled the room. And the mathematician was well aware of it. Finally her nose bleeding had stopped. She got used to the "divine" scene in front of her and was more horny than anything else. But she noticed that Setsuna was getting bored and uneasy, so she decided to lighten the mood.

"Setsuna-san?"

"Yes?"

"Did you watch the last Dior fashion show last week?" Setsuna smiled happily as she heard the word "fashion show". She couldn't help it. She could talk for hours about anything fashion.

"Of course I did!"

"Did you see the dress at the end?"

"Yes…"

Rain and Hail looked at the two and became entertained by their discussion. They were in their own world, no longer aware that they weren't alone in the room. Suddenly Rain noticed Setsuna's face, specifically her smile. It was a genuine smile filled with happiness.

"A breathtaking scene, isn't it?" Hail whispered to Rain.

"Yes, breathtaking." Rain only answered, before continuing her painting.

-X-

"Were you invited to this "surprise" party for me?" Setsuna asked while she was looking ithrough her bag for her keys.

"You..you know for the surprise party?" Teruki stopped in her tracks.

"Yes, I figured it out this morning."

"And what do you know about it?"

"Oh, that they invited you and you all were the ones who had to take me away from the house. It must be a dinner."

Teruki sighed heavily. Obviously, Setsuna didn't find out exactly what the party was. She felt someone's hand on her left shoulder and turned back. Hail was wearing the broadest smile she had ever seen. "Relax my little Romeo. Everything will be alright"

Slowly Setsuna opened the door, still surprised that the lights were off. After all she knew everything about tonight, so it was not necessary…

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

The time guardian stopped in her tracks frozen. As she switched on the lights, her vision blurred. It took her a moment before she realized what was happening here. Everyone was there: Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru. But the other senshis, even Mia and Kasumi were here as well. There were all here to celebrate her birthday.

Suddenly, Setsuna felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around. It was Teruki, who was bearing the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. "Happy birthday Setsuna-san." Teruki gently said.

"Really Sets-chan! Did you think that we were going to do just a mere surprise party for you?" Haruka smirked.

Setsuna was in loss of words. She had said it already; she hated surprise parties. But this time she didn't know what to do. Hell, she couldn't deny that she was so touched. It was the first time that she had a party like that. Usually, she insisted that Haruka and Michiru prepared a mere dinner, nothing too ostentatious. She would even sometimes work instead of celebrating her birthday with the others. Now she regretted all those missed occasions. She understood now that Haruka, Michiru and the others were doing that to cheer her up and to show her how much they loved her. How could she have been so blind? She couldn't suppress a tear from falling. Michiru noticed it. She came closer to her and gave her a hug.

"Suna suna…"

Setsuna slowly cried. "T…thank…thank you everyone."

At this touching scene, everyone gathered around the guardian of time and tried to comfort her. "We will be always here for you Sets-chan." Haruka said as she took Setsuna into her arms after Michiru stepped away. Setsuna smiled. She was so happy to have such wonderful friends. Suddenly, she felt someone squeezing her hand. The touch was very gentle and soft. Setsuna's dark red eyes looked up to see Teruki holding her hand.

Time stopped for both of them. Teruki was bearing this genuine smile that Setsuna loved so much. The mathematician was still squeezing her hand trying to reassure her that everything was all right. Setsuna looked at her and saw love and concern behind them, but she could also saw insecurity. Teruki was scared. But 'Of what?' The guardian of time thought. It suddenly hit her that Teruki may be in love with her but afraid of being rejected. After all, Setsuna felt the same way. She wasn't sure, but she was so fed up with this hide-and-seek game. She wanted to know. However, as she opened her mouth to speak, Haruka's voice filled the room.

"Well it's time for dinner!"

Setsuna closed her mouth, fear making her not want to continue anymore. While the others were walking toward the dining room, Setsuna stayed still to look at Teruki, who met her gaze. They were silent, Teruki's hand still inSetsuna's. No word was spoken between them. Suddenly, Teruki moved and dropped her hand. The guardian of time immediately felt a heavy void fill up in her heart. She missed Teruki already. But she didn't want to show her how she felt. "Let's go. After all it's your birthday and we habe to stop Usagi-chan eating our share of food." Teruki whispered.

Setsuna looked at her while Teruki walked away and sighed deeply. Eventually she moved and joined her in the dinning room.

-X-

"Open your presents Suna!" Michiru smiled.

Everyone, including Setsuna, got excited. She was enjoying the night. The dinner was delicious, thanks to Makoto and as always, Usagi ate all the foods. But surprisingly, Usagi was not alone. Everyone was speechless as they watched Teruki eating as fiercely as Usagi. At least Makoto was happy that they loved her food. Shortly after, Setsuna blew out the twenty-two candles on her birthday cake. Then it was time to see all the presents her friends and family had for her. Setsuna received all kind of gift from the inner senshi, from a book from Amy to a clock from Usagi and Mamoru. Now it was time to open Hail, Rain, and Kasumi's present. As she opened the box, she groaned out, "Hail…"

"Yes?" Hail smiled. Rain laughed, but was stopped by Kasumi. However, Kasumi began to laugh and couldn't stop either. Teruki, who was seating next to them looked at them and Setsuna wondering what was happening.

"Can you explain this?" Setsuna asked as she still looked at her present.

"Well, it's a Victoria Secret's…"

"I know what it is! I'm asking you what happened in your head to give me something like this."

"Come on Setsuna-chan! I'm sure there is someone that you love to show that too." Teruki looked at Setsuna as she heard Hail's sentence. Her heart began to beat hard.

"What? That's none of your business!" Setsuna replied harshly.

"Come on. I'm sure that you love someone. What is better than the finest red and black lingerie from Victoria's secret to attract this person's attention?"

Setsuna blushed at this comment while Teruki was mesmerized by Hail's talk. Thanks to this afternoon, she could clearly imagine the scene and suddenly felt hot.

_Setsuna was waiting on the bed for her with a blush on her cheeks. She was wearing this red and black lingerie that Hail had described. She was gorgeous. Her silk bra holding her round breasts pushed them into a nice looking view. They were perfect. Teruki slowly removed Setsuna's bra. The latter moaned at the touch, which only make Teruki even more aroused. She then cupped one of the perfectly sized breasts and lowered her lips to slowly touch them to Setsuna's heated skin._

"_Teruki!" Setsuna moaned. Teruki's hand moved again to caress her flat and firm stomach. That hand kept travelling lower until it reached her tights and the hem of her garter. She couldn't control herself anymore. She wanted Setsuna so much. "Teruki…"_

Teruki snapped herself out of her thoughts. She felt a hot stream of blood gushing out of her nose. Kasumi noticed it too. "Teruki? Are you alright?"

Upon hearing Teruki's name, Setsuna turned to take a look, however, she didn't have time to fully understand what was happening because a ball flew into and hit Teruki dead in her face. The mathematician fell backward and onto the floor.

"Teruki!" Setsuna ran toward her.

"Sorry!" Hotaru, who was playing with Chibi-usa, cried out. "I didn't catch the ball on time". Setsuna came near Teruki to help her up and noticed how she now had a bloody nose. Chibi-usa was really strong! Immediately, Setsuna took a tissue and tried to stop the bleeding. But she was sure that Teruki was bleeding before the ball smacked her in the face. Was it because Hail was talking about her?

"I'm really sorry Teruki!" Hotaru kept apologizing.

"Don't worry little-one. I'm okay." Teruki finally answered with a smile. " Maybe this means that it's time for you to show your present to your mama." She tousled the little girl's hair.

"If Hime-chan shows her present, it means you must show yours too, you know?" Haruka grinned.

"It means yours also." Teruki defiantly replied. Everyone laughed, but Setsuna. She was more than lost in this discussion.

"Can you explain to me what is happening?" She eventually said.

"Well" Michiru said this time. " Teruki was the one who had the idea with Hotaru. We were the ones in charge to lead you away from the house during one week, hence the trip to this onsen, this hot springs." Michiru laughed.

Setsuna was surprised but now understood the reason for that sudden trip some weeks ago. It was surprising her because Hotaru didn't come along, which is really rare. "So Teruki and Hotaru were able to prepare your present." The sea nymph continued. "So technically… this is Teruki and Hotaru's present. We are just people who helped them."

Teruki laughed but Setsuna was lost again. She didn't understand who the present was from and Michiru really didn't answer her question! "I think it's better that we show you." The mathematician gently said, leading Setsuna to a room. The latter was wondering what the present might be. She was even more perplexed as she saw the door of the guest room with her name on it.

'Did they move my bedroom?' Setsuna wondered. 'Well finally I won't hear the lovely couples next to my room anymore. Not that I mind being next to them, it's just after all these years I would be already dead with a bullet in the head if I wasn't used to all the noises. But at least I won't have to go to sleep earlier or go to the theater each time they are quite horny.'

"I hope you'll like it" Teruki whispered to her as she opened the door. She thought it was a bedroom, but she was wrong. There was no bed. Instead the large desk in the center of the room only added to her confusion. Suddenly, Teruki switched on the lights. This time, Setsuna could see rolls of fabric in a corner of the room, next to a smaller desk with a sewing machine on it. It was a sewing room! In fact and there was everything she needed. The room was not big, but for her it was more than enough.

Setsuna felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked at Teruki in amazement. "H... how?" Setsuna asked.

"It was not easy." Teruki answered. "One week was a short period of time, but with the help of the twin sisters and the little one here…" She tousled Hotaru's hair. "We were able to manage."

"But how did you know…?"

"Setsuna-san, it was really easy to know that you love fashion design. Haruka and Michiru confirmed me that it was a passion of yours. So I wanted to offer you something that would help you to realize your dreams." Teruki noticed that Setsuna was in awe. She always thought that she was no future in the fashion design, but Teruki wanted her to believe in it. Was this a sign?

"And I'm the one who decided for the design of the room!" The little firefly exclaimed.

Suddenly, Setsuna jumped into Teruki's arms and Teruki immediately blushed at this sudden action. She never thought that Setsuna would act like that. A bow, shaking hands, a kiss on the cheek she could understand that, but not that! This was paradise! "Setsuna…" Unconsciously, Teruki had unconsciously dropped the honorifics and was enjoying the closed contact.

"Thanks…Thank you a lot Teruki…" Setsuna also dropped the honorifics.

"And what about me?" Hotaru said, sounding hurt, but her smile suggested the opposite. In reality, she was glad that her mama and Teruki was getting closer.

Setsuna laughed before squatting down and hugging her daughter. "Thank you Hime-chan."

"And what about us? We helped too, we want a hug from you!" This time Hail and Rain joked

"Ha ha, thank you everyone. It was the best birthday party I have ever had."

"Do you really think that the party is over already?" Minako announced, surprising everyone who turned toward her.

"What?" Setsuna looked lost.

"Now, it's KARAOKE TIME!" Everyone cheered and then happily moved back to the living room. Setsuna looked at them, then at Teruki. They shared a laugh.

"Well let's go Setsuna-san!" Teruki stated.

"I think after what happened today, you can drop the "san"" Setsuna advised.

Teruki stopped in her track. Today? "What happened today?" The first thing that crossed her mind was a naked Setsuna on a chair. What does this mean?

"I mean, after all you did to give me this present…" Setsuna didn't know what to say.

Teruki smiled. She was touched and a little relieved that it was concerning her present. "Okay then. Let's go Setsuna-chan"

"Hai! Teruki-chan!"

Both walked to the living room, where they would hear the music and people singing. When they arrived, they saw Ami and Makoto singing a love song. They were looking at each other's eyes, slowly Makoto caressed Ami's cheek with her hand. The latter, put her hand on top of hers, while her eyes started to shine since. They were so in love. Finally, the song ended but both girls were still in the same position, ignoring everyone. Eventually, they kissed. It was a short kiss but it was so full of love. The others cheered at the scene, which made Amy blush and Makoto laugh.

Suddenly, Minako, who noticed that Teruki and Setsuna were finally in the room, called out to them. "Setsuna-san, Teruki-san! It's your turn!"

"What?" Setsuna froze.

"Yeah, it's your turn to sing! The both of you!"

"B…But…"

"Let's go! It may be fun." Teruki smiled, amused by all of this. She took Setsuna's hand and dragged her in the center of the room next to the microphones.

"T…Teruki-chan!" The tanned woman didn't know what to do.

"So…for you…this song!" Minako exclaimed, while she was looking at a list of music.

"A French song?" Setsuna asked. Fortunately, she knew the song, so it was easy for her to sing it, but she didn't know about Teruki.

"Oh! I know this one" Teruki said, smiling. She didn't know much about Earth songs, but she remembered hearing this song during one of her walk in the city, by a French café more exactly.

"You know French?" The guardian of time was surprised. Really, Teruki was incredible.

"Well, I know this song at least."

"Okay, then it's perfect. Let's start." Minako stated.

"Wait!" Setsuna was not prepared. It was a love song! She couldn't sing that with Teruki. But it was too late, she could already hear the music beginning. Suddenly, Teruki held Setsuna's hand to reassure her.

"Don't worry, Setsuna-chan, everything will be alright." She whispered. The latter looked at her speechless. She tried to say something but Teruki started to sing.

Regarde le jour se lève

Dans la tendresse sur la ville

It was Setsuna's turn to sing before she sang together with Teruki.

Tu me fais vivre comme dans un rêve

Tout ce que j'aime

Besoin de rien, envie de toi

Comme j'avais envie de personne

Tu vois, le jour, c'est à l'amour qu'il ressemble

Besoin de rien, envie de toi

Comme le rouge aime l'automne

Tu sais, l'amour, c'est à Vérone qu'il ressemble

Besoin de rien, envie de toi, envie de toi

J'aime quand tu m'enlaces

Quand tu m'embrasses

Je suis si bien

Premier matin caresse

Matin tendresse

Tu es si belle

Le jour se lève

Nous, on s'aime

Setsuna looked at Teruki, who was still holding her hand. She was feeling it again, that pressure in her lower belly. Like in the song, she wanted the taller woman so much. She was so perfect.

Besoin de rien, envie de toi

Comme j'avais envie de personne

Tu vois, le jour, c'est à l'amour qu'il ressemble

Besoin de rien, envie de toi

Comme le rouge aime l'automne

Tu sais, l'amour, c'est à Vérone qu'il ressemble

Besoin de rien, envie de toi, envie de toi

Besoin de rien, envie de toi

Comme j'avais envie de personne

Tu vois, le jour, c'est à l'amour qu'il ressemble

Besoin de rien, envie de toi

Comme le rouge aime l'automne

Tu sais, l'amour, c'est à Vérone qu'il ressemble

Besoin de rien, envie de toi, envie de toi

Besoin de rien, envie de toi...

The song ended, but Setsuna didn't stop looking at Teruki who met the glance with one of her own.

-X-

When the party was over, everyone left to go home, but Teruki was the last one to leave. "You can stay here for the night, you know?" Setsuna proposed. She was at the front door with Teruki, who was putting her jacket on.

"I would like too, but I need to wake up early tomorrow." Teruki simply answered, looking a bit sad. In reality, she wanted to stay, but she had to present a lecture tomorrow for a high school. Really, she never thought that her presentations would have so much success.

"I see. Then thanks again for the present and for being here." Setsuna eventually said, a little bit down.

All of sudden, she felt a hand on her cheek. Surprised she looked up and saw Teruki, smiling. "Don't worry, I'm sure we will have more than one occasion to see each other." Setsuna didn't expect what happened next, as she felt soft lips press themselves onto her cheek. But immediately after, they were gone. "Sorry! I promised you to no be so flirty anymore!" Teruki said in panic. She did it without thinking. She just got so mesmerized by the smaller woman's beauty.

"No no, it's okay. It's okay." Setsuna reassured her. Now it didn't matter anymore. No matter what, she loved this woman, all of her. Teruki smiled before saying good-bye and leaving on her motorcycle. Setsuna stayed at the front door and watched her leave. This was the best night she had ever had.

* * *

><p>Sorry for not updating more often. School is taking a lot of my time. And I missed Setsuna's birthday D: Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. Thanks JustFineEnough for helping me again and everyone who reviewed this story X3<p> 


	7. Onsen trip  part one

**Hi there! **

**Juste to say a few things. In the last chapter I totally forgot to give the name of the song at the end of the chapter. It is "Besoin de rien, envie de toi" by Peter and Sloane. Also,**

**Onsen: hot spring**

**Garagara pon: a Bingo machine**

**Enjoy the first part of the Onsen trip and big thank you to JustFineEnough! X3 **

**And don't forget to review, I can't write faster without them!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7 Onsen trip - Part one: Realization<p>

"You won young lady!"

Setsuna froze as she heard a bell ringing because she still had not yet realized what happened just a moment ago. She decided to do some shopping for the dinner tonight, so she stopped at a grocery store to buy some vegetables. She was surprised when the vendor proposed that she participate in a small lottery to win some prizes. Since she had nothing to lose, she took the handle of the Garagara Pon machine and turned it. But she never imagined that a red ball would come out of the hexagon machine. A red ball! This meant that she won the first prize.

"I..." The guardian of time tried to say something.

"Congratulations!" The vendor continued to speak. "You won the first prize: five tickets for Shirahama Onsen at Taikoban Hotel!" He happily gave the said tickets to Setsuna, who was still speechless.

"An...onsen?" she managed to say while looking at the papers in her hands.

"Indeed! Have a great stay there!"

Setsuna eventually thanked the vendor and left. Slowly, she walked toward her car, thinking all the way. Maybe this was an occasion to take a break and go to the onsen with Michiru, Haruka and Hotaru. After all, her daughter didn't come with her the last time because of her birthday. So it was a good opportunity to thank her hime-chan. But, she won five tickets.

As she got into her car, Setsuna looked at the tickets again, still lost in her thoughts. It was obvious that the fifth person would be a certain mathematician student. But as she sat there meditating on those tickets, she was struggling deep down about her reasons to invite Teruki. It was logical that she should invite the taller woman to thank her for her birthday present. But her heart knew that she was doing it to spend some time with her. It was the perfect opportunity. Silently, Setsuna smiled and took her mobile phone to call the said tomboy. Maybe it was time for her to follow what her heart desired instead of doing what her brain thought was right.

Setsuna announced the good news when she arrived home. She laughed as her family who stared at her speechless. Hotaru snapped out of it first to happily cry out and then she began running around everywhere in the house.

"Whoa, Suna suna, that's a surprise!" Michiru exclaimed with joy.

"Shirahama Onsen? It's quite far from Tokyo..." Haruka suddenly noticed.

"At this time of the year, there are not so many people there. So it was cheaper for the vendor, I think." Setsuna simply answered.

"Yes, but I'm thinking about the long transport. Well, it will normally take about eight hours by car, but I could probably make it there in five..." Haruka started, but she was interrupted by Michiru.

"Haruka..." The sea nymph glared at her lover.

"Well, you see, the problem is that I can't take the car..." Haruka sweat-dropped, quite frightened by her girlfriend.

"No problem. We just need to take a plane. I'm sure the tickets for Wakayama Prefecture are not so expensive. I'll buy them." Setsuna stated.

"Oh no, Suna suna!" Michiru interrupted her. "We are paying for the plane tickets!"

"What? No Michiru-chan! I'm inviting you, so I'll pay!" Setsuna said in disbelief. This was upside-down! She should be the one paying for everything.

"No, no! It's a perfect occasion to offer you a real birthday present. Last time, we only helped Ruki ruki."

"No, Michiru I'm paying." To prove what she had said, Setsuna walked toward the phone. Watching this, Michiru decided to played her trump card.

"If you are paying, Setsuna Meioh, I won't love you anymore!"

Setsuna froze as she heard Michiru. She turned and looked at her. The sea nymph was serious, her eyes were not lying. It was unfair! Setsuna didn't know what to do. The time guardian eventually, and a bit regretfully, left the phone alone and walked back towards Haruka and Michiru.

"Sorry, Sets-chan, but you know Michiru." Haruka smiled, sorry for her best friend.

"I know, I know" Setsuna groaned softly, but she smiled as well. It was the proof that Haruka and Michiru cared for her.

"By the way, there are 5 tickets. Who is the lucky one who will be accompanying us?" Haruka smirked.

Setsuna's smile widened. "Teruki-chan. I invited her already and she agreed to come with us."

Haruka and Michiru looked at the tanned woman with shock written on their faces. It was the first time that Setsuna had made the first move in inviting Teruki. Both lovers grinned. Finally after two months and two weeks, they had succeeded in putting those two blind women together...well almost together. It was only a matter of time now. It was a tough task, even with Hotaru helping them.

"Well...then..." Haruka started.

"Let's go to Shirahama Onsen!" Hotaru finished her father's sentence excitedly.

-X-

It was a sunny day, which was unusual for this time of the year. The outer senshi and Teruki were really surprised that their arrival at Nanki Shirahama airport was welcomed by a bright sun. However, it doesn't stop them from wearing a thick jacket. After all, it was November. Soon winter would arrive. The temperature had already decreased, especially in this part of Japan.

Shortly after they left the airport, they rented a car, which Haruka had insisted on. She couldn't stand waiting for a bus every hour when it was so much easier to have their own car. Michiru agreed too, thinking this was more practical. It was decided that Haruka would drive, Michiru would be right next to her, and the others would be at the back seats with Hotaru in the middle. The trip to the hotel was really silent in the beginning, however, a bored Hotaru started conversation. At first, she talked about school and how she wanted Teruki to help her in mathematics. The said woman laughed, but accepted to help out sometimes.

"Ah you know, Teruki-san? Setsuna-mama is spending most of her free time in the sewing room we made!" The little firefly said suddenly.

"Ah?" Teruki looked at Setsuna, who was blushing.

"Indeed," Michiru spoke also. "She doesn't stop making clothes for us. We don't need to buy anything now!" She laughed.

"Then I'm sure you can make something for me, Setsuna-chan." Teruki asked.

"Don't worry, I have already made a pink dress for you!" Setsuna teased.

Teruki froze in horror at the word pink. She couldn't help it. The only think in the world she feared was the color pink. It was only a color, but it was a nightmare for her. But a pink dress! It was more than a nightmare; it was hell! Everyone laughed as they saw Teruki on the verge of fainting.

"I was only joking Teruki!" Setsuna finally said. "Just tell me what you want and I'll do it for you." The taller woman sighed in relief. Setsuna grinned at the scene. Since her birthday, she had gotten closer to Teruki. Now they didn't hesitate in teasing each other. Thanks to that, the guardian of time learned a few things about her friend, including her fear for the color pink.

"In that case," Teruki started but she was immediately interrupted by Hotaru.

"Oh look! It's the beach!" Everyone, except Haruka, turned their heads toward the windows in anticipation. Indeed, it was a breathtaking scene. The sea, reflecting the bright sun, was shining like a jewel. No one would believe that it was cold outside, not with a scene like that.

"Michiru-mama! I want to go to the beach!" Hotaru happily asked. The landscape was really different from Tokyo. So it was normal for the child to be so excited, even if she was a teenager already.

Michiru laughed, as well as Haruka. "Well Hime-chan, I'm not sure you can swim. The water must be really cold. But we can walk on the beach if you want." Michiru suggested.

"But first, we need to go the hotel to drop our stuff." The blonde racer said to everyone's agreement.

Taikoban hotel was one of the numerous hotels at Shirahama Onsen. It was not its most prestigious one, but it had its own charm which seduced the Outer Senshi and their friend. Inside, the hall was huge with a mix of modern and traditional architecture. To their right, they could see shoji doors which, according to the hotel plan, led to where restaurants and other traditional activities were. When they looked to their left, they saw automatic doors which led to the baths and to the bedrooms. After several minutes, Setsuna went to the front desk after realizing that they should stop gazing at the hall, if they wanted to have their rooms.

"Good morning." The receptionist said with a smile on her face.

"Hi. It's for a checking in" Setsuna replied while she flashed the tickets she won and the reservation papers.

"Okay, wait for a moment please." The receptionist took the papers and checked on her computer about the reservation. After several minutes, papers were printed. Setsuna signed them and received, in exchange, four key cards.

"Your rooms will be on the right. Have a nice stay." The receptionist bowed, Setsuna bowed as well before coming back to Haruka and the others to tell them to move.

"Okay, here we go!" Haruka said happily while she and Teruki were carrying the bags. It took several minutes for the group to reach their rooms. During their walk, they took notice of the location of the onsen inside the hotel. They decided to go there later that night. Finally, they arrived in front of their rooms, which were fortunately side by side.

"Two rooms?" Teruki noticed.

"Why? Is there any problem?" Setsuna asked, surprised.

"I thought that I would have my own room."

Setsuna panicked. Millions of questions and hypothesis were appearing in her head. 'Did I do something wrong? Maybe she prefers being alone in her room. Or maybe she only came to enjoy the hotel and not for me.' The more the guardian of time thought about it, the more worried she became. 'What am I going to do?'

"Well where will Hotaru sleep? I don't want her to sleep on the floor because of me." Teruki finally added, concerned about the little girl.

Setsuna stared at the taller woman, speechless. Her brain processed what she had just heard. Eventually a smile appeared on her face. She was relieved, but also touched by Teruki's action. "Don't worry. Hime-chan and I can sleep in the same bed. It's a queen size bed, but it will be enough for us," she replied.

"Or I can sleep in Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama's room." Hotaru exclaimed as she ran toward her parents.

"Are you sure?" The tanned woman asked.

"Don't worry Sets-chan! As you said earlier, the beds are large enough. Michiru and I will sleep in the same bed." Haruka smirked.

"But..." Setsuna was not sure it was a good idea to let Hotaru sleeping with two lovebirds like Haruka and Michiru.

"Come on, Sets-chan. Do you think we are irresponsible parents? And after all, bedrooms are not the only places where we can have fun..." Suddenly Michiru interrupted Haruka by gently slapping her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry Setsuna-mama! I think I can handle myself." Hotaru smiled.

Setsuna looked at her family. They were smiling innocently at her. They were all being suspicious, she was sure of it. But finally, she sighed. After all, she couldn't refuse this opportunity to be with Teruki alone. Setsuna blushed at this idea, imaging some scenes with Teruki she shouldn't think about.

"Okay, then we should prepare ourselves. Setsuna, are you coming?" Teruki eventually said. Setsuna immediately jumped, feeling the taller hand's on her shoulder. She deeply blushed. But slowly, she entered in the room, desperately trying to erase those naughty thoughts from her mind.

-X-

"Beautiful!" Michiru smiled. She and the others were finally on Shirahama Beach, admiring the view and enjoying the sun. Michiru and Hotaru were happily running on the beach side by side feeling the sand under their bare feet. Haruka was looking at the two with Teruki and Setsuna by her side. The blonde racer laughed, amused by the scene.

"And she said we would only walk on the beach." Setsuna smirked.

"You know how she is when it concerns the sea." Haruka simply said, admiring her loved one playing with her daughter.

"Well, why are we standing here?" Teruki joked. She started removing her shoes and ran to join Michiru and Hotaru. Setsuna and Haruka looked at her in disbelief, but finally followed her. Haruka rapidly caught up with Teruki and zoomed past her. Then in one swift motion, she took her Michiru by the waist and picked her up.

"Haruka!" Michiru shouted in surprise.

"Come here, my love." Haruka only said.

Teruki and Setsuna stopped next to them smiling at the scene. Suddenly, Teruki felt Setsuna's hand touching hers. Setsuna surely felt it too, as she suddenly looked Teruki in the eyes. Both women stayed still because they were afraid of breaking the spell between them. Time passed and, finally, Setsuna smiled. She took Teruki's hand in hers and rested her head on her shoulder. She didn't care right now if it was a bold move or not. She was sure that the taller woman cared for her, so why not take advantage of it?

Teruki was quite surprised of Setsuna's actions. It was the first time that she showed such bold behavior. But she accepted it and held Setsuna's hand back in return. They started walking as the others decided to walk along the beach. They looked like an happy family.

Teruki didn't know what was happening to her. Maybe she was tired because of the flight. But today, it was very difficult for her to restrain herself from kissing Setsuna, right here, on the beach. She was so beautiful and so perfect. She was the most gorgeous woman she had ever seen and now it was even more difficult for her to resist the other woman's beauty. Her fleshy pink lips were so tempting. Teruki couldn't resist anymore. She wanted so much to feel them. Fortunately, Hotaru broke the spell.

"Michiru-mama, what is that?" She asked her parent while pointing at a huge edifice. It was a building suspended on the sea and it was connected to the shore by a bridge.

"Well...Haruka? Do you know what is it?" Michiru asked.

"According to the guide, it's the undersea observation tower..." Haruka read.

"Really? Michiru-mama! Let's go!" The little firefly happily suggested.

"Why not? Teruki? Setsuna? What do you think?" The sea nymph asked.

"Let's go!" Setsuna surprisingly smiled. She was in a good mood today and nothing would change it.

There were fishes and other marine species everywhere. It was like walking under the sea. Well, they were under the sea, they just were not getting soaked. Hotaru was running excitedly everywhere so she could see all those colored fishes, gigantic sharks, and other aquatic creatures. Michiru, just as excited as her daughter, admired all the aquariums with fascination. Haruka had a lot of trouble controlling them, but she was enjoying the visit. It was not everyday that she could see her lover and daughter so into something. So she quietly followed them.

Teruki and Setsuna were far behind, admiring some manta rays in an aquarium. They stared at a particular one that was swimming toward them. "So cute." Setsuna whispered.

"Cute?" Teruki wondered.

Setsuna laughed then she continued. "Well, it's true that we can't say cute for such a big creature like that. But it is so admirable to see a creature with such grace and presence." At those words, Teruki looked at Setsuna, who was lost in her thoughts. She kept staring at the manta ray with a smile on her face. The lamp of the aquarium was lightning up her smooth face, making her appear more radiant than ever. This time, something snapped inside Teruki, who just couldn't resist anymore. Slowly, she came closer to Setsuna, who turned to look back at her.

"Teruki?"

"You too have such a grace and presence." The mathematician whispered in a low voice. She kept walking forward and forced Setsuna move back. Suddenly the latter felt the hard wall behind her back.

Since the observation tower was under the sea, there were a lot of dim lighted zones on the premises. They were in one those zones, so they became invisible to the others visitors. Setsuna was scared. No one could see them and Teruki was in front of her, blocking her from an any escape, with her right hand on the wall behind her. She was sure that Teruki would do nothing to her, but she was still worried that Teruki was different from usual. She could hear her heart beating hard in her chest.

"Teruki..."

"You're so beautiful." Dark crimson eyes widened. Suddenly, Teruki's left hand gingerly caressed Setsuna's cheek. The touch was soft and warm. Slowly the tanned woman felt fingers moving down to her mouth to touch her lips. Finally the mathematician could feel the softness under her fingers of those perfect lips. Teruki's head was only an inch apart from Setsuna's. "Every time I see you, I wonder, why are you single? Men should fight to death to have you. You're so mouthwatering."

"Maybe because I'm not the woman who is nice enough to do everything they want..." Setsuna replied with a little bit of sadness in her voice but, at the same time, mesmerized by Teruki.

"Then they're just idiots. You're so perfect..."

Setsuna tensed as she saw Teruki getting closer. Her lips were so close to hers. Her heart was still beating hard in her chest. She had been waiting for this moment and longing for it for such a long time too. Eventually, Setsuna closed her eyes. She could almost feel Teruki's lips on hers. But soon she would feel them, soon she would...

"Setsuna-mama? Teruki-san?" Hotaru finally noticed that her mother and her friend were not behind her anymore and she was starting to get worried.

Setsuna open her eyes. Teruki suddenly stopped and straightened up sharply. She stared at the tanned woman while her face paled and fear grew more obvious. She just realized what she would have almost done if Hotaru didn't stop them.

"Teruki?" Setsuna whispered. She was worried seeing Teruki like that.

"I...I...I'm sorry Setsuna-chan!" The tomboy stammered, like she had done something really wrong.

"Teru..."

"Setsuna-mama! Teruki-san! You're here!" Hotaru exclaimed as she came closer to her mother.

"Sorry Hime-chan. We were admiring a manta ray and lost track of time." The guardian of time said to ease her daughter's worries.

"Oh I want to see it too!" Hotaru got excited again.

"Well..." Setsuna hesitated. She wanted to talk with Teruki.

"Let's go, Setsuna-chan, I'm sure the little one will love it." Teruki eventually said. The tanned woman looked at her friend. Her eyes widened when she saw Teruki's smile. She knew Teruki well enough to know when her smile was genuine or a faked one and this smile was forced. Teruki had put a mask on her face to hide her despair, but her eyes couldn't lie. Setsuna could see the infinite sadness behind them.

"Teruki..." She tried to say.

"Go, go, you two. I'm behind you." Teruki insisted. Eventually Setsuna and her daughter left the mathematician to see the manta ray. The latter looked at them walking away before she started to shake. She painfully ran her fingers in her hair and tried to put herself together. "What I have done?" She desperately asked herself. "She must hate me now."

-X-

Eventually, the Outer Senshi and Teruki left the observatory, all delighted by the visit. However, Teruki was still shaken by the event of earlier. Setsuna had tried to speak to her since the almost "kiss" scene, but each time, Teruki would avoid her and become more and more distant. This pained Setsuna. Something happened back there and it might be her fault.

"Teruki?" Setsuna tried again to speak to her friend.

"Sets-chan, Teruki!" Haruka called them. "We are going to the village. Do you want to come?"

"Hmmm why not?" Teruki answered, acting like she didn't hear Setsuna. "What do you think Setsuna-chan?" The guardian of time stayed silent but eventually sighed and agreed. Maybe she would have a better occasion to talk to Teruki later.

Unfortunately, the occasion never came. The day passed quickly, but Setsuna never had the chance to talk to Teruki. Now it was already dinner time, and her relationship with the black haired student was still uneasy.

They decided to eat at the hotel because they all were tired from their busy day. When they arrived, some people was already there, eating and chatting happily. The restaurant was large and cozy, so it was easy to find an empty table. They decided for a table next to the window so they could admire the view. Haruka and Michiru sat face to face and so did Setsuna and Hotaru. Teruki decided to sit at the end of the table far away from Setsuna, which upset the latter. They ordered shortly after their arrival and waited patiently. Hotaru, still excited by her day, didn't stop talking, which amused Haruka and Michiru. However, Michiru and Haruka both noticed that Setsuna and Teruki weren't in the mood to talk. Each time Setsuna tried to look at Teruki, the latter would avoid her eyes, afraid of something. That small action was more than enough to pain Setsuna, who was lost and more than hurt.

When their food arrived, the group was really surprised by its excellence. It was delicious. However they were unfortunately disturbed by some voices behind them. Teruki froze as she finally understood what the people were saying.

"Did you see his scars?"

"Yes."

"We should be careful, they must be some sort of yakuza..."

Teruki stopped eating but stayed silent. People noticed her scars and started making assumptions about them. Again. She was tired of this. Her friends looked at her with worry in their eyes.

"Teruki-chan?" Haruka eventually said.

Teruki slowly put down her chopsticks. "I think...I should leave. I don't want to embarrass you more. I'm sorry." Suddenly, she got up and left the room. The others were surprised at this and immediately, Setsuna got up and hastily ran after Teruki. Haruka and Michiru looked on before looking at each other. Secretly, they both wished that everything would be alright for their friends.

"Teruki! Stop!" Setsuna shouted, trying to stop Teruki from going further. The latter stopped, but didn't turn back because she was afraid that something awful would happen.

"Teruki... Is everything alright?"

The guardian of time finally had the occasion to talk to her friend. She had to take it. It had tortured her all day long not knowing what was wrong with Teruki. She was sure that it was related to what happened that afternoon. It was obvious.

Finally, Teruki turned around and looked at Setsuna. The latter could see fear and hesitation behind those dark brown eyes. Gingerly, she took the mathematician's hand in hers and started caressing it. They stayed like this for a moment before Setsuna had the courage to talk.

"What's wrong Ruki..." Setsuna asked, not aware of the nickname she used for Teruki.

"I'm sorry." Teruki replied, her voice low. She too didn't notice the use of the nickname. She was way too preoccupied with her problems.

"Sorry for what?"

"For what happened a moment ago. I never thought that people would notice my scars. And I never thought that they would think something like that. I'm sorry that I embarrassed you and the others..."

"Don't worry about it." Setsuna immediately said. "You know, three women who are the parents of a teenage girl are not exactly the model type of parents. So we are used to it," she laughed.

Teruki smiled, silently agreeing with the other woman.

"But I didn't want to talk about this." Setsuna continued. "Something else is wrong."

Teruki froze. She knew what Setsuna was talking about. She panicked and started trying to find a way to leave, but Setsuna's hand firmly held hers.

"Please Teruki-chan. Is it because of what happened in the observatory? I..."

"I'm sorry!" Teruki exclaimed in a panic.

Setsuna stared at her surprised. The proud and confident woman she was used to seeing had been replaced by to a frightened girl who was desperately trying to flee. It was the first time that she saw Teruki like that. A part of her was sure that no one had ever seen this side of her. Setsuna's hold tightened at this thought.

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have tried to kiss you! I didn't want it...it's just..." Teruki started babbling. "Please don't hate me..."

Suddenly, Teruki felt a finger on her lips. She stared at Setsuna while Setsuna herself felt reassured. She thought that the problem concerned her personally like she did something really wrong.

"What did I tell you last time, Teruki-chan?" The guardian of time smiled.

"I..."

"I said that it was okay. I think that now I'm used to flirty people." She laughed. "After all, I'm surrounded by flirty people. Haruka, you..."

"But still, I shouldn't have tried to kiss you..."

Suddenly, Teruki froze as she felt soft lips on her own. Setsuna was kissing her. It was brief, simple kiss but the taller woman could feel all the softness on those lips. She had dreamed a million of times about her kissing Setsuna and even making love to her. Finally, a part of her fantasy was becoming real. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough for her to know that Setsuna was the one. Teruki needed her to feel complete.

Setsuna felt her heart beating fast in her chest. She had kissed Teruki on impulse but she didn't regret it. She was finally able to taste those exquisite and soft lips. It felt so right. Setsuna could feel it in her entire body. Teruki was the one she was looking for, the one who would hold her in her strong arms. But Setsuna knew she had to eventually let go, so she slowly broke apart from Teruki.

"And what about now?" Setsuna suggested.

"..." Teruki was speechless. A huge blank filled her mind.

"I.." Setsuna hesitated. "You're dear to me Teruki. And I would feel bad that you didn't enjoy the trip because of me. I told you already that it's okay. I don't want you to change because of what I said. So, please, smile for me. I miss the Teruki who makes me laugh and always smiles."

The black haired woman stayed silent while she listened but eventually, she genuinely smiled. Setsuna's face lit up because she was finally able to see the beautiful smile of the one she loved.

"You're right. I'm sorry for today. I promise that I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

"No problem. But I have to tell you, because of you I had to leave my dinner behind. I'm starving!" Setsuna smirked.

"Then let's go back! I'm starving too." Teruki laughed. After some time, both women went back to the restaurant, hand in hand.

-X-

When they came back, Haruka and Michiru were really surprised to see both women. But they reassured their friends that everything went well and the group resumed their dinner, this time, everyone was fully enjoying it. Teruki happily chatted with Hotaru and even Setsuna took part in the conversation. The blond racer and her lover enjoyed the spectacle.

Suddenly, the group heard some people speaking about Teruki's scars again, they even began talking about Haruka and Michiru. Teruki sighed then looked at the couple to try to show that she was sorry. But the couple sighed as well because, this time, they were also concerned. All of sudden, everyone stared in shock as Hotaru got up and glared at the people eating at the other tables.

"Would you stop your nonsense? If you have a problem with us, then leave this place! Do we talk about you behind your back?"

The room went deadly quiet. Everyone was shocked by the little girl's behavior, especially Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, and Teruki. After some time, the other guests awkwardly went back to their own business silently. Hotaru sat back down and resumed eating. Haruka laughed heartily and tousled her daughter's hair.

"Good job, Hime-chan."

"Indeed, you did great Hotaru-chan." Teruki added. Hotaru blushed at Teruki's comment. It was the first time that the taller woman had called her by her name. She smiled, happy that her parents and her friend were proud of her.

-X-

Teruki yawned. It was really difficult for her to focus on her book while laying on the comfy bed of her hotel room. But she was bored since she had to wait for Setsuna to finish her bath at the thermal spring. As she thought of Setsuna, Teruki smiled. She was happy and, most of all, relieved that everything was going well between them. For a long time, she had thought that she had no chance with the tanned woman, but she might be wrong. Teruki's smile widened and she started to laugh at how wrong she was. It was not an expressive one like when she was amused by something funny but one that she used when she was extremely happy. She was laughing at herself and her foolishness.

"What's going on here?" Setsuna was amused by the taller woman's behavior and was wondering why her friend was being like this. Teruki immediately got up with the really wide grin still on her face.

"I"m just happy, that's all." Teruki simply answered, which made Setsuna blush. "I see you finished. It was great?"

"More than great." Setsuna smirked. "I still don't know why you didn't want to come with us."

"Well, I don't like when other people are around me. Is the room deserted yet?"

"Yes, no one is there anymore. We were the last ones. Are you shy?" Setsuna teased.

The mathematician got up and gathered her belongings. "Well, maybe I am." She whispered. Setsuna looked at her surprised. She could feel that something was wrong behind those words. It sounded like a joke, but she knew that deep behind this sentence there was another reason, something well hidden inside of Teruki.

"Anyway, I'm going. I'll be back maybe in a half an hour." Teruki smiled and left shortly after.

Setsuna nodded then she laid down on her bed and breathed in deeply. She was tired because of today events. They had just arrived this morning and already a lot of things already happened between her and Teruki. Fortunately it ended well and she was happy about that. As time passed, Setsuna got lost in her thoughts. She reviewed all her memories in her head: the fights, the times where she stayed at the Time Gate to protect it all alone. They were painful memories.

The tanned woman then thought of Teruki. She thought of her kindness, her smile, her in the hot springs. She blushed at this thought. She imagined Teruki there, naked. She imagined her well sculpted body, her smooth skin, her smaller, but still perfect round breasts. One would think that Teruki looked too much like a man, but for Setsuna, she was perfect and behind that masculine appearance, she was sure she would find the most beautiful woman she had laid her eyes on.

"Oh!" Setsuna moaned in embarrassment. Her blush deepened as she realized that familiar known pressure in her lower belly and wetness behind her legs at her thoughts. She wanted to hide! She was not at all used to this. She tried to think of something else, but it was no use. The more time passed, the more she thought of Teruki and her fingers. Setsuna moaned again and tried to hide her face in the sheets. Her own fingers were caressing her body. She imagined that they were Teruki's as they traveled down to reach her forbidden treasure. She wanted to stop, but it was impossible. She needed this.

However, the sounds behind the door succeeded in making her stop as she recognized Teruki's voice. The latter was speaking to herself, wondering where she had put her keys. Setsuna's blush deepened and her face completely went red. She stopped immediately and got up to wait for Teruki, even if right now she wanted to jump through the window to hide herself.

The door opened and Teruki entered in a delighted mood because of the bath. But she stopped when she noticed the beet red coloring of Setsuna's face.

"Setsuna? Are you alright?"

"Y..Yes Yes!" The guardian of time immediately replied.

"Are you sure? You're red. I hope you didn't catch a cold." The black haired woman came closer and touched Setsuna's forehead with her own. "You're a little bit hot."

Meanwhile Setsuna, as aroused as she was, had a huge difficulty staying still as she felt Teruki's skin on hers. 'Behave Setsuna, behave!' She repeated to herself.

"Come on, you need to go to bed or tomorrow you won't be able to be with us." Teruki finally suggested. Setsuna nodded and prepared herself to sleep all the while trying to forget all her perverse thoughts. When Teruki was done and was sure Setsuna was too, she switched off the light in the room.

Setsuna was cold. She didn't know why but suddenly the warmth of the blanket was not enough. Even with her legs close to her body, she was not able to suppress her shivering. Teruki, who was too occupied at thinking about the tanned woman to go to sleep, noticed the shivering. She got up and walked toward Setsuna's bed.

"Setsuna? Are you alright?" She whispered.

"Yes, I'm just a little cold, that's all." Setsuna answered. "Don't worry about me." Indeed, she didn't want to disturb Teruki's sleep because she was cold. She only needed to take out an extra blanket from the closet. But when she was about to get up, she cried in surprise when Teruki lifted the blanket and slid next to Setsuna.

"Teruki..."

"As I said before, I don't want you to catch a cold. So if the blanket is not enough for you, I'm here to help." Teruki answered as her arms grabbed Setsuna's waist to bring her closer to her.

Setsuna blushed and hoped that it was too dark for Teruki to notice it. She stiffened as she felt the taller woman's breasts on hers. Teruki just smiled before tangling her legs with her friend's. "There, you're all set," she whispered.

The tanned woman was speechless. But she could feel the cold air disappearing around her and warmth begin to surround her. Crimson eyes softened as Setsuna remembered feeling this warmth. It was at the time of wedding, of the accident, and of Teruki's kindness. Eventually, she relaxed. She even put her arms around Teruki and rested her head in the crook of her neck. Slowly, she fell asleep, happy and in peace.

Teruki smiled as she looked at the woman in her arms. She was afraid that Setsuna would refuse her "help," but all had went well. She deeply cared for her friend and she didn't want her to catch a cold like last time. She still felt a little guilty to have let her go to the wedding with such a high fever. Being a fire wizard, her body was abnormally warmer and she took advantage of it. Feeling complete, she too fell into a deep sleep.


	8. Onsen trip  part two

Disclaimer : As always I own nothing except Teruki Tao

* * *

><p>Chapter 8 Onsen trip - Part two: "The final decision we all must take" (by Sagisu Shirou)<p>

The first thing Setsuna felt when she woke up was warmth, familiar warmth she got to know last night. As she opened her eyes, the irresistible view of a sleeping Teruki lifted a smile on the tanned woman's face. Immediately, Setsuna came closer to her and held her tight. She put her head on Teruki's chest to hear her heart beating peacefully.

"Good morning." Teruki whispered, slowly waking up.

"Good morning." Setsuna replied. "What time is it?" She couldn't see the clock from where she was.

"Well." Teruki looked up and tried to see the clock on the nightstand. "5am."

"Oh, it's too early." The time guardian whined, drifting into sleep again. "Let's sleep a little longer."

"Yeah, I agree."

However, both women were interrupted by a knock on the door. They groaned, wondering who was disturbing their sleep. But Teruki got up and opened the door. What a surprise when she stared at Hotaru standing before her, sleepy as well as quite angry.

"Little one? Are you all right? Why are you here?" Teruki asked. A worried Setsuna, who got up as well, was behind her.

"What's wrong Hime-chan?" The latter asked.

"Nothing, Setsuna-mama" Hotaru replied tiredly. "The battery of my MP3 player was low, so I couldn't listen to my music to go to sleep while Michiru-mama was giving Haruka-papa the ride of her life for having "saved" her from the all mighty evil dragon." Hotaru exclaimed like she was telling an epic story. "And since I don't want to be traumatized at a young age and most of all want to sleep, I wanted to know if you are okay with me sleeping with you for the moment."

"Of course. But if you want, you can move in with us." Teruki suggested.

"No, no, don't worry about me. It's just for today." Hotaru, then, entered the room and walked toward the beds. As she started climbing into one, she noticed something and looked at Teruki and Setsuna who were reentering the bedroom also.

"The bed is cold. Someone didn't sleep in her bed last night." Hotaru smirked.

Both women blushed and tried to explain themselves.

"Well..."

"Sorry, but I'm too tired to deal with you." Hotaru simply said while yawning. "So I'm going to go to bed right now!" Hotaru immediately laid in the bed and went to sleep.

Teruki and Setsuna looked at her and, at last, smiled at the little girl's amusing behavior. "Well, now we have only one thing left to do." Setsuna smirked.

"And that is?" Teruki wondered.

Suddenly, the smaller woman pushed the taller one on the bed, who cried out in surprise. Fortunately, it didn't wake up Hotaru. Laying down, Teruki stared up Setsuna, who stood next to the bed. All of sudden, she jumped on the bed as well. However, the tanned woman was not laying on the white sheets of the comfy bed, but more so on a certain fire wizard, who blushed furiously. Setsuna was tightly cuddling her. "Setsuna?"

"Don't move. You are officially my personal blanket."

"Blanket?" Teruki laughed.

"Yes, you're so warm."

Teruki's face softened at that touching statement. She slowly put her arms around Setsuna's waist. The smaller woman looked at her, with a blush reddening her cheeks too. They stayed like that for a moment until Setsuna rested her forehead on Teruki's.

"Enjoying the blanket?" The black haired woman asked.

"A lot."

"Then..." Suddenly, Teruki turned to be on her side, bringing Setsuna with her. Like last night, the taller woman brought the tanned woman closer to her and tangled her legs with hers. The time guardian let a sigh of satisfaction leave her lips as she settled herself in Teruki's arms.

"Have a good sleep." The latter whispered.

Both women fell asleep unaware of a certain pair of violet eyes watching them. Hotaru smiled before falling asleep again.

-X-

"I hate you both!" Hotaru glared at Haruka and Michiru.

It was nearly noon when everyone finally got up that morning because of Haruka and Michiru's "intense activity" and Setsuna and Teruki's laziness. So the group decided to have their lunch at the hotel. Hotaru was the first one up. It took a lot of effort to wake up everyone but she succeeded eventually. Surprisingly, Haruka and Michiru were the first to wake up. That's why, after Hotaru left her Setsuna-mama and her friend to get ready, she joined her parents at the restaurant to talk about particular matter.

"You are hurting our feelings, Hime-chan." Haruka spoke like she was hurt.

"Then, next time, I'll be the one who will wake you up. Come on! And what was this excuse about me telling them to sleep in their own room? It was because you two couldn't resist each other for more than one second! How dare you wake up your own daughter to spy on Setsuna-mama and then enjoy yourself! I'm sure that when I left the room, you did it!" Hotaru fumed at her parents.

"Well, I'm sure that you enjoyed looking in on them, didn't you?" Haruka simply replied with a grin.

Hotaru froze and glared at her father, then, she sighed and smiled. "Indeed, it worth the lack of sleep."

"Ara? And what did you see?" Michiru was getting curious.

"Well, Setsuna-mama and Teruki were in the same bed this morning, and I'm sure last night too." The little girl stated.

A huge smile appeared on Haruka's and Michiru's faces.

"Finally, they're being true to themselves. It was a hard task but I'm a genius." Michiru cried out.

"Calm down, love, they are not together yet. And don't forget that I helped you." Haruka interrupted her girlfriend. "They will be officially together when they cross the next and ultimate step!"

"Oh, Haruka." Michiru sighed. Haruka was really a sex-driven lover.

"What next step?" Teruki asked as she joined the group with Setsuna by her side. Haruka froze, afraid that she had slipped.

"Oh, we were talking about this video game that Haruka-papa and I were playing at home." Hotaru tried to reply convincingly.

"I see. So, what are the plans for today after lunch?" Teruki and Setsuna sat next to the group at the table, completely oblivious of what was just talked about.

"Good question." Michiru wondered. "Ruka, what do we have left in the tour guide?"

"Well...we have..." The blonde racer flicked through the book and stopped on a page. "Wakayama Adventure World."

"What is it?" Hotaru exclaimed. She had already an idea in her head, but she wanted to be sure so she wouldn't get excited for nothing.

"A zoo..."

But Haruka didn't finish her sentence as her daughter stood up.

"We're going! We're going!" Everyone laughed in amusement and they agreed that it would be interesting to visit the zoo, since it was famous for hosting giant pandas.

-X-

So here they were at Wakayama Adventure World. It was crowded, but they could still freely circulate the park. This time, not only Hotaru, but everyone was getting exited by the visit. Even Haruka couldn't resist the cuteness of the giant panda they were admiring. Suddenly, the black and white fur ball looked at them in curiosity. Tilting his head to his side, he slowly yawned, which made everyone drool over the scene.

"He is so cute." Michiru held on tightly to Haruka's arm. The latter nodded. Everyone was enchanted by the animal.

Teruki smiled as she looked over at Setsuna, who couldn't detach her eyes from the panda. Even though the sight of the love of her life was so endearing, the taller woman suddenly detached her eyes when she heard a sound behind her. She abruptly turned and froze. Setsuna noticed Teruki's actions and wondered what was happening. Her heart stopped when she heard Teruki whispered, "So beautiful."

The time guardian immediately turned to see what Teruki was looking at. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a woman in front of them. The latter was happily chatting with some friends. She was not ugly. The woman was wearing a really tight dress, which showed off her assets. She was really not ugly.

Slowly, Teruki walked toward her, forgetting about the great panda and especially about Setsuna. The latter felt more and more depressed and scared as Teruki walked closer toward the woman. What could she do? She did tell Teruki that she didn't have to force herself to be what she wasn't. She couldn't deny that Teruki was quite a playboy. Tears started gathering in her eyes. 'No, no,' Setsuna tried to repeat to herself.

But dark crimson eyes widened as Setsuna saw Teruki walking past the woman. 'What the...?' Immediately, the time guardian ran to catch up with her friend. As she came closer, she watched the taller woman stop in front of a cage and stare intensely at something white that was inside. The smaller woman finally arrived by Teruki's side and looked inside the cage too. It was a large, white feline with a black spots fur. The animal had its eyes fixated on Teruki, as the latter did the same. It's big and strong looking paws made the feline look really imposing. But what was really impressive was the length of its fluffy tail, which was as long as its own body. Setsuna eventually looked for the information card of the big cat.

"Snow leopard." She read aloud.

"So cute." Teruki still was in trance, admiring the feline.

The time guardian laughed softly, quite impressed by how this animal succeeded in putting Teruki in such a state. Teruki was so adorable. It was rare that she showed so much emotion in public.

"I can see that you love snow leopards."

"Who wouldn't love them? They are so cute with their fluffy tail. Gosh, I want to touch it!" Teruki was getting excited, which really amused Setsuna.

"You know. From now on, I'll call you 'my big snow leopard.'" The dark green-haired woman suggested.

"Ah, ah! Then I'll call you 'my cute little bear.'" Teruki replied.

"Eh! I'm not little!"

"For me you are. So don't complain!" Both women laughed. Soon after, Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru, who noticed that their friends were gone, joined them. Everyone in the group drooled over the feline and its little cub, that came out of its hiding place shortly after their arrival.

-X-

"What is it?" Michiru asked as she stopped in front of a little house.

"Well…" Haruka looked on her map and tried to find their location.

They were still at the zoo. After several hours of admiring animals, they had decided to leave, with Haruka and Michiru saying that they wanted to show the group something. But on their way back to the exit of the park, they noticed a little house, secluded from the other animals and surrounded by plants and trees.

"It's...the insect house." Haruka finally said.

"Oh, interesting." Michiru looked at the entrance. "Let's have a look, then."

"Are you sure?" This time it was Setsuna who spoke, unsure of this decision.

"Don't worry, I'm here with you." Teruki whispered in Setsuna's ear. The latter jumped as she felt the student's arms wrap around her waist. She turned her head and contemplated the red hinted, amber eyes watching her. The tanned woman couldn't help blushing at the closeness. She shivered when she felt Teruki's breath on her neck. Eventually, a small smile appeared on Setsuna's face.

"Okay then. Let's go."

"Yoshi! Let's go!" Teruki exclaimed pointing toward the insect house, but her left arm remained around the olive-skinned woman's waist.

When they arrived in the house, they could see a lot of glass cages with various insects inside each. Lead by curiosity, the group admired the different types of insects they could see. However, even if someone tried to reassure her, Setsuna was uneasy in the room. She was sure that she would see her worst nightmare here.

"Setsuna? Are you alright?" Teruki worriedly asked as she came by her side.

"Yes, don't worry." The senshi of time answered quickly, but she was quite stressed. "Oh look, there is nothing in this cage!" Teruki tried to change the subject. Setsuna came closer to the said cage to have a glance in it. There were some plants inside with a huge trunk in the middle. But the trunk seemed a little bit off.

"Err...Sets-chan...I don't think that the cage is...empty." Haruka hesitated when she read the information card.

"What do you..." Setsuna stopped.

Now she understood why the trunk was off as she glared at it. The trunk was moving. Well, the insects on it were moving. And those particular insects...Teruki noticed that Setsuna was turning pale and had started shaking.

"Setsuna..." Teruki started to call out until she was interrupted by Setsuna's loud scream. In one quick motion, she jumped into Teruki's arms and wrapped herself around her neck. She almost lost her balance because of this new weight in her arms at first, but she quickly recovered.

"Cockroaches!" Setsuna was hyperventilating. She buried her face in the crook of Teruki's neck and tried to forget the frightening scene she has just witnessed.

"Setsuna?" Teruki panicked. The tanned woman wasn't listening to her anymore, she was just too scared. The taller woman didn't know what to do. The more the time passed, the more attention their small group started gathering. "Setsuna..."

"Suna is afraid of cockroaches" Michiru came by their side. "But it's the first time that she reacted like this."

"Maybe they are too many of them." Haruka deduced. "Teruki-chan, you should bring Sets-chan outside."

Teruki nodded and quickly left the room with Setsuna still in her arms. Michiru was ready to follow them, but Haruka stopped her. She was wearing that mysterious smile that meant she had a plan in her head. The sea nymph immediately understood and smiled in return.

Outside, Teruki quickly looked for a bench. She spotted one not too far from where they were. As she walked toward it, she tried to speak to Setsuna, but the latter was still not listening. So, Teruki silently sat on the bench with Setsuna still on her lap. Gingerly, the taller woman put her arms around the tanned woman's waist. She murmured reassuringly in her ear. "Setsuna..."

Still no answer.

"Suna...please look at me. It's okay, now we're outside."

Setsuna opened her eyes, still in shock, and stared at her friend. Teruki blushed deeply. She finally noticed that she called Setsuna "Suna," which may not be appropriate. They were friends, nothing else…

But in fact, Setsuna had only started staring because she just woke up from her state of fear. Quite lost, she looked around her to see where she was. Her eyes met Teruki's and she eventually realized her position on the mathematician's laps. She blushed, embarrassed by her position.

"Teruki! I…I…"

Teruki lightly laughed, clearly enjoying the view of an embarrassed Setsuna.

"Don't worry, it doesn't bother me. In fact I love it." Setsuna's blush deepened at the comment. It was easy to understand the hidden message behind those words. Really, Teruki was as much of a flirt as Haruka.

"No really…you scared me…" Teruki stated seriously.

"I…I'm sorry. You know…cockroaches and I…it's a long story."

"You don't need to be sorry. I understand. It's just that I was afraid that something happened to you."

Both women stayed silent, neither having much to say, and enjoyed the presence of being with one another. Setsuna felt good. What more could she ask for? Teruki's right arm was around her waist, holding her tightly. She could even feel the taller woman's hand secretly caressing her body. This was paradise. She was at her limit; she was going to moan because of the pleasure being brought to her from those hands. She turned her head slowly so her dark crimson eyes met with amber ones. The guardian of time studied her friend's face, more specifically, she studied her scars. She always wondered what happened to Teruki. How did she get those scars? Without thinking, Setsuna lightly fingered them with her hands. The scars were almost invisible, but she could clearly feel the difference on the taller woman's smooth skin.

Setsuna jumped as Teruki firmly took her hand in hers. The latter continued to look at her before she gingerly kissed the palm of her hand. The tanned woman shivered at the feeling of soft lips on her skin. The memory of last night resurfaced from her mind and she had a deep urge to feel those lips again. She wanted to be sure that she didn't dream of that kiss last night and the accompanying sensation she had experienced. Without hesitation, she moved closer to Teruki and kissed her. The latter didn't seem surprised, so she deepened the kiss.

It was an explosion of sensation. She knew that she would never get tired of feeling those soft lips kissing her. Setsuna wrapped her arms around Teruki's neck, bringing the taller woman closer to her. Eventually air became an issue so both women broke the kiss, but resumed staring at each other. Setsuna then made the first move as she leaned on Teruki, resting her head on the taller woman's shoulder, a smile lighting up her face. Neither of them spoke, they were too afraid of breaking the spell that formed between the two of them. They also didn't want to ask that fateful question that would seal their fate. They were scared, but at the same time, they knew the answer deep down. At least, they hoped that it was what they thought.

-X-

Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru left the insect house after several minutes. They waited for the "couple" to break apart from their kiss so they could appear by their side, with wide grins adorning their faces. Setsuna finally had the confirmation that her family was trying to hook her with Teruki. She sighed and let it go this time. This time, they were right after all. Even if it was clear that both women were in love, Setsuna and Teruki had never talked about it after they left the zoo. They acted like nothing happened, to the surprise of Haruka and Michiru. In reality, both women were still affected by their kiss. But instead of taking the risk of breaking the spell between them, they preferred to let it continue. They knew they would have to face the truth one day, but for the moment, they just forgot it. They have dreamed of this moment for ages, and they merited enjoying those blissful moments. And they did.

After leaving the zoo, Haruka proposed to admire the sunset near to Engetsu-to, an islet with a full moon shaped cave in the middle. Everyone accepted and travelled to the place. Indeed, it was a breathtaking place. With the sunlight illuminating the islet and the ocean, the colors and lights mixed to create a whole new picture. The group was admiring the most beautiful sunset they had ever seen. Haruka and Michiru were with Hotaru, leaving Setsuna and Teruki alone a few meters away from them. They smiled as they noticed how close both women were to each other.

After a moment, the sun was totally gone and it was replaced by the slowly rising moon. It was getting cold, and even Teruki's warmth couldn't stop Setsuna from shaking. Everyone agreed to go back to the inn to enjoy the onsen there and most of all the warmth of a cozy house.

When they arrived at the hotel, they immediately went to the restaurant to have their dinner. When all were fully fed, they chose to walk around the hotel to digest their food a little. It was at this precise moment that Haruka noticed the tennis table in a room. Excited, she succeeded in dragging the others with her and made Teruki play table tennis with her.

"I won!" Haruka proudly exclaimed.

"My! You're too strong for me." Teruki smiled, putting the paddle on the table.

"Why don't you just say that you suck at this game?" The blonde racer defiantly replied.

"Maybe this kind of game is not my cup of tea." Teruki laughed. She noticed that Setsuna was by her side now.

"My turn then!" The tanned woman happily said.

"Ho, ho! Sets-chan is playing!" Haruka was surprised. It was rare for Setsuna to participate at such games.

"I want to beat you to teach you a lesson!"

Immediately, the guardian of time started the game and Haruka quickly accepted the challenge by smacking back the ball. Teruki, who was in loss of words at such a scene, moved away from her friends and walked toward Michiru and Hotaru, who had begun laughing. The mathematician then noticed that she was sweating. She looked at the clock on the wall and realized that is was late. Surely, the onsen was deserted by now. It was the perfect occasion to take a bath.

"I'll come back in one hour." Teruki warned Michiru and Hotaru. "I'm going to take a bath at the onsen."

"Oki doki!" Hotaru joyfully replied. She then looked back at her parents who were playing table tennis like she was sure beasts would.

-X-

Firmly holding her towel around her hips, Teruki took a glimpse inside the bath, checking to make sure that it was indeed deserted. She stopped moving and listened for sounds. She sighed in relief when she only heard the sound of the waterfall of the bath. Slowly, she entered the room and double-checked that no one was here. Like last night, everyone left the baths, allowing Teruki to enjoy all the room for herself.

The bath was huge! The major part of it was occupied by a shallow pool, which feed a small waterfall. The latter pumped the water from the thermal source to distribute it in the hotel. The hot water passed through a small tunnel across the city. There, the water was cooled by the fresh air of the night, so the temperature was perfect for a bath. Alone, she breathed in deeply, filling lungs of the steam of the onsen. She could feel her senses awaken and her tiredness leave her body. It was refreshing.

First, Teruki washed herself in a corner of the room, where it was possible to take a shower to remove all the impurities on her body. Then, she gingerly entered in the pool, letting the warm water relax her tensed muscles. Settled, she sighed in delight and enjoyed the bath. However, she groaned in pain as she felt a light pain in her left shoulder.

"Still sensitive," Teruki whispered. She tried to suppress the pain by thinking of something else. Her eyes closed and she slowly drifted to sleep, thinking of the past…

"_Teruki! No!"_

"_Tora, watch out!"_

Teruki immediately woke up, feeling the pain of sharp claws cutting her flesh again. But she didn't have the time to think about the pain. She noticed a shadow next to her. Her eyes widened as she finally noticed someone in front of her. She was not alone anymore, Setsuna was with her. The latter was shocked and remained motionless, so Teruki got scared. Setsuna was looking at her body and she knew why the tanned woman was bearing such a surprised expression on her face.

'What do I do?' Teruki asked to herself.

-X-

"And I win again!" Haruka exclaimed, making the "V" of victory with her hand. "Really, Sets-chan, I thought that you were stronger." She started to tease.

"Shut up!" Setsuna groaned silently, still not accepting her defeat. She almost won the game!

"Jealous of my talent?" The blonde racer laughed. "Then, who wants to challenge me next?"

"I'm in." Michiru's sweet voice filled the room. "It's time to give you a lesson."

"Are you sure, Michi? I don't want you to get hurt." Haruka replied defiantly.

"Let's make a deal. If I win, you'll be my 'slave' tonight." The sea nymph suggested.

"And if I win, you'll be mine." Haruka smirked. "Okay, let's go."

Setsuna sighed at the sight of her friends. They were acting like children. "Are you okay Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru asked as she walked to Setsuna's side.

"I'm alright Hime-chan. Just a little bit tired. I think I'm going to the hot spring before going back to my bedroom."

"Okay." Hotaru smiled widely. It was the perfect occasion for her mother and Teruki to have some time alone since the taller woman was still at the hot springs herself.

"Do you know where Teruki is?"

"Nope, but I'm sure she is fine." Hotaru's smile widened even further.

"Okay then, I'm going." Setsuna shortly said before leaving the room to prepare for the hot spring.

When Setsuna entered the bath, she immediately relaxed and sighed in delight. After a quick shower, she was ready to enter the pool in the center of the room. She was surprised to see a particular woman, sleeping at the edge of the pool. The guardian of time smiled, touched by the scene. As she came closer to the taller woman, Setsuna took a glimpse at Teruki's body. She could feel this burning sensation in her body already. Teruki was really beautiful. But something on Teruki's shoulder caught Setsuna's attention. Setsuna was surprised that she didn't see it before because it was almost obvious now. It started from the top of Teruki's shoulder to reach her left breast. The scar was impressive and it was nothing compared to the smaller ones she had on her face. Unconsciously, Setsuna tried to touch Teruki's scar. But just as she was going to touch her skin, Teruki suddenly opened her eyes and jumped in surprise. Setsuna froze, not knowing what to do.

Teruki didn't know what to do. Setsuna saw it. She saw her scars. She had to leave. So she got up and started walking away, as fast as possible so Setsuna wouldn't be able to catch her. Unfortunately, the guardian of time was fast enough to grab her hand to stop her. Teruki tensed as she heard her friend's gasp. She didn't have to turn back to understand what was happening.

Setsuna was speechless. She stopped Teruki in her tracks and now had a clear view of the scars that patterned her back. One scar was in the middle of her back and another one was starting from her left hips to the center of her lower back. They were the most obvious scars, and Setsuna was sure that they were not the only one and it scared her.

"What happened to you?" Setsuna eventually asked.

"Nothing!" Teruki coldly answered.

"Don't lie to me, Teruki. You know that is not nothing!"

Teruki eventually turned to look at Setsuna. She was sure she was going to find fear or disgust in her eyes, but the only thing she saw was concern and worry. The taller woman sighed, readying herself to tell everything. "It was a long time ago. I received these scars while I was protecting someone."

"This person had to be special for you to be ready to go through that."

"Yes, she is. I would give my life for her." Teruki smiled, thinking of Tora. She was ready to do everything for her "little" sister.

Setsuna's heart stopped. She recognized the light in Teruki's eyes. It was faint but she could see it clearly. It was love, a true one. Teruki was in love with someone. She was in love with the person she saved. 'I was a fool,' the tanned woman thought.

"Some people are very lucky." Setsuna whispered, unable to hold back her tears.

"What?" Teruki asked, not sure of what she had heard.

But before Teruki could have her answer, Setsuna walked past her, mumbled a "sorry," and left the room wordlessly. Teruki watched her leave, not knowing what was happening. But eventually, she understood that Setsuna didn't want to stay with her anymore. And she was sure that Setsuna didn't love her anymore. She gave a forced laugh. Again, people were leaving her because of these scars. She would never regret her decision of saving her sister because it was that particular accident that helped them get along. But she couldn't deny that she was tired of being rejected because of the scars she has. All the girls she once dated ultimately left, saying that it was because they could not stay with someone as "imperfect" as her.

"Why? Why?" Teruki cried out as tears ran down her cheeks.

-X-

Teruki dried herself with a towel. After several minutes of crying in the bath, Teruki decided to leave. Now she was in deep in thought about whether or not she should stay with her friends until tomorrow. But something else caught her attention as she looked outside. She could feel the presence of a monster. She quickly slipped on her trousers and left the room.

When Akamen finally arrived to where the monsters were, she didn't imagine finding Sailor Pluto already there. She was doing a good job in defeating them. But the senshi of time didn't notice a particular monster sneaking behind her back, ready to attack. Akamen immediately dashed toward the foe and kill it with her sword. Pluto, having sensed the presence of the enemy a bit too late, turned to stop the attack. But instead of staring at a monster, she stared at the masked man who had already killed his opponent.

"Are you alright?" Akamen asked, her voice low.

No response.

Setsuna was speechless as she looked upon her savior again. She didn't understand why, but she could hear her heart beating hard in her chest at the mere sight of the person in front of her. Akamen was here also at Shirahama. Was it fate to see him here? After all, she did dream of him before Teruki. Maybe he was the person she was looking for and not the mathematician who confirmed that she was already taken. It was a far-fetched hypothesis, but Setsuna needed to be sure. She was so tired of waiting and finding herself alone again and again.

"Meet me on Tuesday at the Shizen Park." Pluto determinedly said. She decided to go for it. She had nothing to lose.

"W…What?" Akamen stuttered.

"Meet me on Tuesday at the Shizen Park. I need to talk to you!" The senshi of time insisted.

"Well…I…" Akamen didn't know what to answer. She was quite taken aback by this invitation.

"Please."

"…I don't know why you want to talk to me, but okay. I'll see you on Tuesday."

Setsuna smiled and started to speak again but both soldiers were stopped by Uranus' voice.

"Pluto!"

Immediately, Akamen ran away. Even if the masked soldier had helped the sailor senshi before, Uranus and her were still not on good terms. So she preferred to not start a new fight.

Sailor Pluto watched her savior leave and her heart continued to beat hard in her chest. She made the first step, now all she needed to wait to see where this step would lead her.

"Pluto! Are you alright?" Neptune asked, snapping Setsuna out of her thoughts.

"Yes, don't worry. Akamen was here to help me."

"Akamen? What is he doing here?" Uranus frowned, suspicious.

"Well, he helped me to get rid of the monsters, since you two were not here to help me." Setsuna coldly replied but, when she finally glanced at her friends, garnet eyes widened at the sight she was met with. "What the hell is that?" She pointed at Uranus' neck.

"Ah! Well..." Haruka blushed and whispered harshly to Michiru. "How come it didn't disappear when I transformed?"

"Ara, I don't know Ruka. But I think it suits you well." Neptune maliciously smiled.

"Is that a dog collar?" Setsuna asked in between fits of laughter. "Don't tell me you lost!" Uranus groaned in frustration. "Oh my, the almighty Uranus lost!" The guardian of time smiled. "This has made my day."

"Shut up!" Haruka shouted, after she de-transformed like the other two.

"Where is Hime-chan?" Setsuna finally noticed that her daughter was not here.

"We let her sleep, she was quite tired because of today." Michiru informed.

The three senshi started walking back to the inn. "And what about you?" Haruka smirked. "What did you do with Teruki?"

Setsuna stopped in her tracks, which made Haruka and Michiru stop too.

"There is nothing between Teruki and I anymore." The guardian of time simply answered. She continued and walked past her surprised friends.

"What?" Haruka stammered. "What happened? Setsuna!"

But the tanned woman didn't listen to her and kept on walking.

When Setsuna finally made it back to her room, she opened the door and entered. She switched on the lights and noticed that something was off in the room. After checking everywhere, she finally realized that Teruki's stuff were gone. When she entered the bedroom, she saw a piece of paper on the bed. She grabbed it and read it.

_Sorry Setsuna to leave like this. But I'm sure that you know why I couldn't stay here. Sorry for the troubles. I won't disturb you anymore._

Emotionless, Setsuna put the note back down on the bed and went to her own. She tried to sleep, but after several minutes, she found was unable to do so. She was cold. She missed Teruki's warmth. She missed her body. She missed her. She tried to be indifferent to the fact that the taller woman was gone. But she couldn't. She couldn't forget her. And now, she was alone again. She could feel the tears that she tried desperately to hold start to fall.

"Why?" She whimpered.

-X-

Teruki uneasily turned toward the city where the inn was located. "Are you getting in, girl?" She looked at the driver of the truck.

"Are you driving to Tokyo?" She asked.

"Yup. So if you want to come with me, get in. I don't have much time to waste."

The mathematician nodded before getting in the truck. As the vehicle started to move, Teruki looked one last time behind her and watched how the lights of the city slowly disappeared.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong> Oh my! Almost 3 months since the last update! Really sorry for this long wait, I was quite busy with school and other related stuff. So as you can see the story is far from the end XD In fact, it's only the half of the development. For information, I usually don't like drama in all its form. But with all the stories I read on and the manga (such as Hokuto No Ken...yes for me it's a drama!) I learned to deal with them and now I even write drama stories 8D But don't worry, they don't last most of the time. You'll see X3

Also I'm sure you'll notice it soon enough, but starting with this chapter, all the titles will be titles of songs. I love listening to music while writing/drawing and 2 songs were my source of inspiration for 2 chapters of this story. So after hours of research in my Itunes, I was able to find songs, whose titles fit with the chapters. So pay attention to the titles X3

I think my author's note is long enough, so to finish it I want to say thank you to all people who reviewed my stories. The reviews made me smile each time I read them 8D And huge thank you to JustFineEnough, who is really nice to correct all my spelling/grammar mistakes (I see red every time! *sbaf*).

A la prochaine! (See ya!)


	9. Can you feel the love tonight?

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Teruki and Tora Tao

* * *

><p>Chapter 9: Can you feel the love tonight? (by Elton John)<p>

"Setsuna?" Michiru knocked at her friend's door.

Silence.

Michiru sighed and went back into the kitchen, where Haruka was eating her dinner. The blonde racer looked at her partner and noticed her grim face.

"She's still not answering?" Haruka asked, already knowing the answer.

"No." Michiru stated.

It has been a huge surprise for them to learn that Teruki had left the hotel during the night. They were more surprised to see Setsuna so emotionless about it. She had put a cold mask on her face and stayed silent during the entire trip back to Tokyo. Haruka and Michiru tried to ask her what happened, but the time guardian only answered that it was over between her and Teruki. Then, she didn't talked about it anymore. When the outer senshi came home, Setsuna immediately went to her bedroom and had stayed there since then. Haruka and Michiru knew that their friend was depressed even if she didn't show it. They could hear her crying at night. They wanted to do something for her, but they could do nothing.

Setsuna felt empty. She was neither happy nor sad, she just felt restless. She thought of several things at the same time to occupy her mind. She knew that if she stopped thinking, she would break down. She would remember of the night she lost Teruki. Definitely. But it was no use as Setsuna inevitably thought about her friend, her face and her smile. Setsuna could feel tears gathering in her eyes again. She was surprised that she was still able to cry after all these nights of crying in her bed. But she quickly wiped the tears away and in one motion, Setsuna stood up. Today was the day she would meet Akamen at the park. She determinedly left her bedroom and went into the lounge. Her surprised family stared at her.

"Setsuna? Where are you going?" Haruka tried to say as she saw her friend walking toward the front door.

"I'm going out for a moment. Don't wait for me." The guardian of time simply answered.

"Wait, wait! I hope you are not planning to meet this Akamen tonight?" Haruka suspected.

When Akamen had saved Setsuna at Shirahama Onsen, the blonde racer noticed that the tanned guardian had talked to her savior. The latter seemed surprised but just nodded afterward. Haruka wasn't sure of what they talked about. But seeing Setsuna leaving, even though it was almost 11pm, Haruka figured it out.

"And what if I am?" Setsuna defiantly replied.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Haruka shouted, starting to loose her temper. She couldn't believe that Setsuna was going to meet this man. After all these months, they still didn't know much about this stranger.

"Ruka, calm down" Michiru said calmly. Then her expression got serious as she looked at Setsuna. "And what about Teruki-chan?"

Setsuna looked away, trying to hold her tears again. "Teruki…doesn't love me…" She whispered.

"What? No, she loves you!"

"I heard her Michiru! I heard her saying that she would give her life for someone, and that someone is not me!" Setsuna cried.

"Then you prefer going in the arms of an unknown man?" Haruka was dumbfounded. "Okay, leave if that is what you want! If you want to be-"

"Haruka!" Michiru interrupted her partner. They were starting to get noisy, which could wake up Hotaru. And Michiru surely didn't want to Haruka be so rude in front of their daughter.

Meanwhile, Setsuna didn't wait as she transformed in Sailor Pluto and left the house. Haruka fumed as she watched her leave. She was angry with her friend, but most of all, she was disappointed.

"Haruka-papa? Michiru-mama?" Hotaru asked sleepily from the top of the stairs. Because she had to wake early tomorrow because of school, she went to bed early. But as Michiru feared, the little girl woke up after hearing her parents shouting. "Is everything alright?"

Haruka sighed deeply, trying to calm herself down. She turned around and smiled at her daughter not wanting to worry her. "Everything is alright Hime-chan."

Walking away from the senshi of the wind, Michiru went to Hotaru's side. "Now go back to bed. You have school tomorrow."

Hotaru nodded, too tired to understand what was happening in the house. Haruka watched her lover and her daughter walk away. Again, she sighed.

"Setsuna, you idiot."

-X-

It was a cold night. Now it was clear that winter was here because now it was impossible to go out without at least a thick jacket. Luckily, Pluto was not affected by the cold in her senshi uniform. While wandering through the park, she noticed that the last of the leaves had fallen from the trees. She could also feel the cold, bitter wind blowing her hair. Pluto was uneasy but she silently kept walking, looking around and admiring the icy and grim landscape around her. But most of all, she was looking for her masked man. She groaned.

"I gave the place, I gave the day…but I forgot to give him a time." She deduced that the meeting would take place late at night, so no one would disturb them and because each time she met Akamen, it was at night. But she didn't know at what time in particular Akamen would show up. Akamen might have come earlier and, after seeing no one, went back home. Or maybe Pluto was early, and she deeply hoped that was the case. So now she just had to wait somewhere, which proved to be another problem. Shinzen Park was huge. What happens if she waits at one end of the park and Akamen at the other? So, she didn't give up. Pluto kept walking, determined to see the masked man.

But after one hour, Pluto started to lose hope in seeing him tonight. She had looked everywhere while hiding herself from some passers-by and couples, which made her heart ache at the sight. He wasn't here. Maybe he changed his mind and decided not to come. She sighed again, desperate to see him.

"I hope that this sigh is not because I'm here." A voice rang behind Pluto. She immediately turned around to see Akamen smiling at her. Relieved to see him, she smiled in return.

"On the contrary, I thought that you changed your mind and decided to ditch me in the park," she half joked.

"I would be seriously insane to ditch someone as beautiful as you."

Setsuna genuinely blushed at the comment.

"So, why you wanted to meet me today?" Akamen asked.

The time guardian stayed silent and froze. She looked away because she was unsure about how to say what she wanted to say right now in the moment. Eventually she looked at the masked man. "Let's walk a little bit."

And they did so. Both were silent. Akamen waited for the senshi to talk and Pluto struggled in finding the right words to say. The atmosphere was tense and Akamen wanted to break the silence. He noticed the staff in Pluto's hand.

"I noticed that you always carry this staff with you." He stated. "Is it something important?"

"Well," Pluto started. "Yes, it is important. This is my talisman."

"Talisman?"

"A powerful artifact that was given to me when I was young. It is proof that I am the guardian of time."

"Sounds fun when you hear about it. It's like you can manipulate time and do other fun stuff." Akamen asked amazed.

Pluto laughed. "Well sometimes I can see small scenes of the past or future. But as the guardian of time, my duty is to protect it against threats or enemy, and to ensure that it runs smoothly."

"Whoa, it seems that it is a duty of high responsibility."

"And a lonely one also." The tanned woman bitterly added.

Akamen noticed the change in Pluto's tone and gave her a worried glance. "Pluto…"

The latter abruptly stopped abruptly and looked at Akamen with an intense stare. Determination shown in the senshi's eyes. 'It's now or never,' she thought.

"I love you."

Akamen froze, not sure he heard well. "P…Pardon?" he stuttered.

"I have loved you ever since the first time I saw you." Pluto kept talking, trying to dissuade herself into thinking that she loved Akamen and not Teruki. Her grip around her time staff tightened as she waited for a response.

"I…I'm very touched" The masked man started and tried to find the right words for his answer. "I'm sorry, but I can't return your feelings. It's not that I don't like you…but I'm in love with someone else."

Pluto was silent throughout Akamen's explanation. When he finished, she forced a smile upon her face. "No I'm the one who is sorry. I shouldn't have told you that. Sorry if I freaked you out."

Akamen was aware that the senshi of time was forcing herself to stay cool and composed. He slowly put his hands on her shoulders to try to reassure her. It did, but at the same time, Setsuna could feel tears gathering in her eyes. She didn't want to cry, especially since she had been crying for days. She hated feeling so weak. Damn Teruki, it was because of her she was in such a state.

"Hey, don't cry. It makes me feel bad." Akamen said softly.

"Sorry, I'm just a little bit on the edge."

"Come on, I'm sure you'll find someone one day. Have just a little bit of faith." He gingerly kissed Pluto's forehead. The latter blushed and stared at the mysterious man.

"If you want, we can walk a little bit more." He proposed.

"No, no it's okay. I don't want to disturb you any more."

"You're not disturbing me. I'm glad to stay by your side."

"No, don't bother." Pluto smiled. "I'm fine."

"You're sure?" Akamen hesitated. "Really, I'll feel bad that something happened to you…"

"Stop feeling bad, you are making feel bad too." The senshi replied half amused. "Now go!"

Akamen did as he was told. But before that, he took Pluto's hand and kissed it again. "Then, my lady, I'm taking my leave." And he disappeared.

The senshi stayed frozen at her spot. Eventually, she transformed back to her civilian form to not attract attention. She started walking and continued to walk, not having any destination in mind. She lost her last chance to find happiness. Finally, after all these days, she was not able to shed anymore tears from her garnet eyes.

-X-

Setsuna was not fond of alcohol. Normally, she would rather sip a delicious green tea than become drunk. But today was not a normal day. For once, she had to admit that alcohol was indeed doing a good job in making her forget everything tonight. She was at the club, Maloya, the same club she had discovered with Haruka and Michiru. It was also close to where she first met Akamen. And even though she was not really listening to the musicians who were performing on stage, the music was helping her to not focus on anything in particular. If she remembered something painful, she only had to do one movement and the bartender was by her side, ready to refill her empty glass of vodka.

She had been in the bar for two hours now. The bartender was getting worried. He needed to assure the safety of his customer. "You should stop drinking, Miss." He eventually said. "You have already drunk too much."

"No, I'm not finished." Setsuna tried to stay, but her words were terribly unfocused. "I won't stop until I totally forget that damned Teruki or get that stupid Akamen out of my head!" She was obviously drunk.

The bartender shook his head, not knowing what to do. This girl was clearly suffering from a broken heart. But he couldn't do anything except look after her so she wouldn't do something stupid in his bar.

"Another drink." Setsuna asked.

"No, at this point, I won't give you anything except water."

"Come on! Don't you see that I'm trying to erase some evil guys from my mind!" The senshi of time whined.

"What I see is a woman who is drowning her sorrow in alcohol."

Setsuna remained silent for a moment but broke it quickly when she stood and staggered to the door. "Fine then I'm leaving!" she shouted.

Immediately, the bartender moved to stop her. She was not in a state to walking outside alone in the dark. But she was already outside, and at the same moment, a customer asked him a drink. Stuck, he instead prayed for her to be all right.

Maybe it was not a good idea to leave the bar when she was not able to walk straight. After all, she didn't know where to stay for the night. It was impossible for her to go back to the mansion, especially after that big fight with Haruka and Michiru. But Rain and Hail lived too far away from here and Mia was at Kyoto.

"Good, then I'll stay at the hotel." Setsuna whispered to herself.

"Hey there babe! Feeling lonely?"

Setsuna immediately turned around to see who was speaking to her. She could distinguish a man in front of her. He was young and seemed to be what she hated the most. A flirter.

"Oh great." She ironically whispered.

"Why is a oh so sexy babe like you is wandering alone in the street?" He asked. "It can be dangerous out here. Maybe I can escort you to a safer place."

"No, it is not necessary." Setsuna said dryly and kept walking pass him. The man, however, was not pleased by this answer and suddenly grabbed Setsuna's arm.

"Come on, I'm sure you'll like it."

"Don't touch me!" Setsuna yelled, now aware of the man's true intention. In a motion, she kicked between his legs. Satisfied with the scream of pain, she immediately tried to take off. Unfortunately, she still could feel the effect of alcohol and was unable to move straight. Her aggressor quickly recovered and ran after her. He grabbed her easily and turned her around to slap her. She fell, but he quickly grabbed her and they moved in the nearest dark alley. With force, he pinned her on the wall, blocking all her movements with a hand.

"Now," He said, his voice dark. "Let's have some fun, and then I'll pay you back for what you did."

"Let me go!" Setsuna yelled. She was so angry. She was angry this man's actions, she was angry for being easily beaten by a man when she was more than able to defend herself, But most of all, she was angry at herself for getting into this type of situation by drinking.

But the young man didn't have time to remove his pants as he heard someone behind him. "Hey you!"

He turned and suddenly felt a sharp pain in the face before falling on the ground unconscious.

Setsuna's eyes widened as she looked at the person who saved her by punching her aggressor. She was still drunk, but she easily recognized her eyes, her hair, her body, and most of all her scars on her face. "T…Teruki," she murmured.

Teruki had been surprised to find herself outside so late at night. It was almost 1 AM when she got hungry. It was not the first time for her and, in contrary, she was used to it. She often got so deep into her studies or her drawings that she often forgot to eat. Recently, she was doing all her best to keep focused on these activities so she could forget a certain dark green haired woman. Tonight, she had succeeded only for a few hours as she worked on her manga. But her meeting with Sailor Pluto broke her concentration and she was starting to feel the first signs of hunger. Too lazy to cook, which was unusual, Teruki decided to go to the nearest convenient store to buy something. But she stopped in her tracks when she noticed two people fighting in the street. She froze as she recognized the woman, who was being slapped by the man. He then dragged her in the dark alley next to them. Without thinking, she followed them.

When she heard the woman yelling, there was no doubt left in her mind. It was Setsuna. Teruki saw red.

"Hey you!"

The man turned, and immediately she punched him in the face. The man was thrown a meter away. She heard Setsuna saying her name.

"Are you alright?" Teruki said.

The guardian of time nodded. Teruki smiled but got serious again as she walked toward the man on the floor. She put her foot between his legs and pushed. Hard. The man screamed in pain.

"Listen to me." Teruki growled. "If I ever see you touching this woman or if I ever see you near her again, I will make sure that to look for you around the world, if need be, to take the life out of your body! Understood?" She pushed harder. The guy screamed again but managed to scream out a yes.

Satisfied with the answer, Teruki walked back toward Setsuna, who was now up.

"Setsuna." The taller woman was concerned, but the tanned woman didn't have time to answer. She ran in the corner of the alley to throw up all the alcohol she had drunk earlier. Teruki immediately came by her side but she was stopped by Setsuna's hand.

"It's okay, I'm alright." She managed to say after she cleaned her mouth with a tissue. She tried to walk, but she lost her balance, still not completely recovered. Quickly, Teruki was there to catch her, and carry her bridal style.

"It's clear that you're not all right. You'll come with me to my home." The fire wizard whispered, concerned.

Setsuna said nothing and Teruki considered this silence as an approval to go.

-X-

The walk to Teruki's home was silent. Both women were unable to speak fearing that doing so would make the situation worse between them after what happened in the onsen. Teruki was walking fast, so they could be at her home as soon as possible, but at the same time, she was keeping a safe pace to not rush Setsuna. The latter laid her head on her shoulder to try to rest. Teruki smiled. Even in her state, Setsuna was gorgeous.

Setsuna was trying her best to stay awake, and not because she feared that the mathematician would abuse her somewhere in a dark alley. In fact, she trusted Teruki with her life and would, with no doubt, fall asleep in her arms. But she was staying awake to pay attention to her surroundings. She knew this road. She hadn't actually been there, but she knew the way. But how? Suddenly, it hit her. Back to the night where she discovered Maloya with Haruka and Michiru, she remembered helping a stranger find his home. Setsuna looked at Teruki in sudden realization.

Finally, both women stopped in front of Teruki's door. They were in a small two-story apartment with outdoor corridors. Setsuna looked at Teruki deep in thought, surely trying to remember where she put her keys. The latter sighed in realization, and the time guardian could feel her friend's hands moving underneath her. She smiled and put both of her arms around Teruki's neck.

"Back pocket?" The tanned woman laughed.

"Sorry about that." Teruki sheepishly said.

Her left hand free, Teruki took her keys and opened the door before entering.

When Teruki switched on the lights, Setsuna took look at her apartment. It was not vast, but it was enough for a person living alone. She noticed that it was not tidy, but it was not a mess either. The only messes she could see were some pens scattered all over the furniture, some empty glasses sitting around, and Teruki's desk, where some papers were gathered. . Setsuna loved Teruki's home because she could smell her scent everywhere in the room.

"You can put me down. I think I'm better now." Setsuna eventually proposed.

Teruki nodded and did as she was told. "The bathroom is there if you want to wash your face. I will prepare something to drink for you."

Setsuna slowly walked toward the bathroom, while Teruki went in the kitchen. When she was there, she deeply sighed. Setsuna was here, in her apartment. She never thought that it would happen even in her weirdest dreams. She was sure that Setsuna didn't want to see her again. When she was at the university, she looked for the tanned woman, but Rain and Hail informed her that she haven't come for days. Teruki concluded that it was over between them. But here they are, in the same apartment. The fire wizard didn't know if it was destiny, but maybe it was a second chance for her to be friends again with Setsuna at the very least. Now, she needed to find something to help her friend in becoming sober again. Her hunger was at the back of her mind.

Teruki opened her fridge and took the bottle of water from inside. As she was ready to close the door, she noticed a small jar at the bottom of the appliance. She smiled. "Perfect."

She took the jar out and walked to the couch in the living room. Setsuna was already there, lost in her thoughts. "There." Teruki put the water and the jar in front of Setsuna.

"Pickles?" The guardian of time asked.

"Indeed. I learned that pickles are the best medicine for drunkenness."

"If you say so." Setsuna opened the jar and dung in. After a moment, she was feeling a little bit better. She was able to think properly now. She looked at Teruki next to her. A concerned look highlighted Teruki's eyes. A tiny smile appeared on Setsuna's face in response.

"Thanks for helping me Teruki." She whispered.

"It was my pleasure, but most of all my duty to save you from that man."

"Don't you think you were a little bit too rash?"

"Not at all, I was too gentle. I should have killed him for even thinking about hurting you."

Setsuna blushed, touched by her words.

"I wonder…what were you doing outside, Setsuna?" Teruki eventually dared to ask.

Setsuna froze, unable to answer Teruki's question.

"Setsuna…I'm here for you."

"I was just drinking at a bar. I got a little too drunk and wanted to go to the hotel alone."

"You? Drinking? And why would you want to go to a hotel?"

"I had a small argument with Haruka and Michiru. I went out to meet up with a man."

This time, it was Teruki's turn to freeze. "I…I see." Setsuna could hear disappointment in her voice.

"But…" Setsuna continued. "He didn't want me. So I decided to go to a bar to drink and forget."

"Then that man is really an idiot to dump you." The fire wizard stated. "Who is he? So I can punch him in the face too." She laughed.

Setsuna smiled. "Don't. I don't want to find you in jail for having punched a man or worse."

"It's worth the try though."

Setsuna couldn't restrain herself anymore. Suddenly Teruki felt Setsuna's lips on hers. It was more than enough for her to kiss her back. Teruki pushed Setsuna back on the couch. The kiss was rough and passionate. Setsuna put her arms around Teruki's neck to bring her closer. This simple act caused both women to feel their breasts being pressed together. Teruki became even more aroused and positioned herself between Setsuna's legs. Setsuna moaned in pleasure when she felt a calloused hand travel over her body. Even with her clothes on, she could feel the delicious pleasure created by those hands. For Teruki, it was not enough. She wanted more, she wanted to feel heated skin under her fingers. She was starting to loose control. She succeeded in placing her hands under Setsuna's shirt and was rewarded with a moan.

"T…Teruki."

Teruki didn't know if it was Setsuna's voice or if it was the scent of alcohol that woke her up. But she took control of her body again and she suddenly jumped to the other side of the couch, breathless and shocked. She put her hand on her face, shamefully trying to hide herself from her friend.

"I'm sorry Setsuna! I didn't want…" She stuttered. 'Great Teruki,' she said to herself. 'You are such a fucking damned idiot.'

"No, no, I'm the one who should be saying sorry." Setsuna managed to say, both breathless and ashamed for what she had done as well. Now she was totally sober, and realized what she had almost done. Tears began to gather in her eyes She tried to stop them, but it was no use. "I…" she whimpered. "I… I'm sorry for my behavior."

"No, don't…"

"You have a girlfriend and, look at me, I'm trying to take advantage of you!"

"What? No, Setsuna. I…" The fire wizard stopped. "Wait! What did you say?"

"You have a girlfriend and…"

"I don't have a girlfriend."

That simple sentence succeeded in making Setsuna speechless as she tried to process it. "You don't have a girlfriend?" She finally managed to say.

"Yes, why do you think I do?"

"But…you talked about this woman you would give your life for at the onsen."

"The woman…" Teruki tried to think back to that night. Then she finally realized what Setsuna was talking about and couldn't suppress a smile from forming on her face. "I see."

"What?"

"Setsuna, I was talking about my sister."

"What?" The guardian of time blinked. "You have a sister?"

"My twin sister exactly." Teruki took her wallet and retrieved a small photo from it to show to her friend. Setsuna studied it. It was a picture of two hugging women, twins in fact, and it would have been difficult for the tanned woman to differentiate between the two. But the scars and short hair of one helped her to recognize Teruki.

"Her name is Tora." The dark haired woman informed.

"Whoa, if your hair was longer and you didn't have your scar, we could easily confuse the two of you."

"Yeah, people often say that to us."

"Where is she now?"

"She couldn't come with me to Japan. She had to stay in Germany for family matters."

"It must be hard for you to be so far away from your sister."

"Indeed. But she had to stay. She is the most suitable person for taking care of our business. And I often call her so it's like she is not so far away."

"I see. So…you are free?"

Teruki smiled. "I was never taken."

Setsuna was glad. It was good news, but at the same time, she couldn't suppress a feeling of uneasiness. They were back to a starting point between them. She didn't know if it was the alcohol (even if she was pretty sober now) or her extreme tiredness, but she was fed up with all of the emotion and started crying.

"Setsuna?"

"I can't take it anymore."

"What?"

"I'm so fed up with all these feelings! I never thought falling in love with you would be so much trouble. I'm so stupid!"

Teruki stared at her friend. But her face quickly softened and she smiled. She took Setsuna's hand and kissed it, which made the latter silent.

"I love you too Setsuna. I have loved you since the first time I saw you."

It was Setsuna's turn to smile, suddenly and finally happy. "When exactly? The night when you asked me the way to your home, or when we met at school?"

"Er…well not the first time then. I have to admit that when I saw you the first time I just wanted to flirt a little with you." The taller woman blushed.

"You're such a flirt." Setsuna smiled, then, kissed Teruki. It was a simple one, but it was enough for Teruki to awaken some deep desires. Her voice became huskier as she talked, lust in her words.

"Suna…I…"

"I have waited for ages for you to ask." The senshi of time simply responded.

Not wasting any more time, Teruki got up and carried Setsuna toward the bedroom. Once there, the mathematician closed the door and laid the smaller woman on the bed, before positioning herself on top of her. They both locked eyes onto each other. Calmly, Teruki started removing her shirt before doing the same to Setsuna. She paused when Setsuna tensed.

"Suna…"

"Ruki… I…"

"Don't worry. I'll be gentle."

And she was.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>: Sorry for the late update. I was litteraly stuck at home because of the Webcomic Homestuck and the MMORPG Ragnarok online (Mode NoLife : ON) The chapter is quite short compared to the others, because if I have to continue it, it will take me one more month to update (Diablo III Powaa!)

Anyway, they are back together...for the moment... XD You'll see in the next chapters. I'll try to update as soon as possible ;)


	10. Eat you up

**Hi everyone!**

**My! It has been a long time since my last update. I'm really sorry. In fact I have finished the chapter for a long time already. But it seemed that my betareader is really busy right now and can't correct it (or I don't have any news for the moment) So I don't want to maker her busier than she is already. I give you the chapter like I wrote it. Sorry for all mistakes in the chapter XP If someone wants to help me, I gladly accept the assitance 8D**

**And don't worry, I will continue this story, it's just that recently I'm quite busy with school and I discovered the webcomic Hometsuck, and I'm totally fan, so right now I can't stop drawing fan art and fan art of Hometuck XD**

**Anyway, Sailor Moon characters don't belong to me, except Teruki Tao X3**

**[EDIT] Revised version 8D My beta reader is back! Thank you again ^^ **

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 10: Eat you up (by BoA)

Setsuna felt good. This was the first time that she felt so complete and so happy ever since she had awaken as Sailor Pluto on Earth. And it was all thanks to Teruki. The latter was sleeping but was still holding Setsuna in her arms. The tanned woman's smile widened as she remembered what had happened earlier.

_Teruki's hands slowly traveled all over the heated skin on her body. Those callused hands studied her body like a map, looking for any and all spots that made Setsuna moan in pleasure. Every tender spot that she found, Teruki quickly memorized it to go back to later. As she promised Setsuna before, Teruki was incredibly gentle. She took her time, letting her relax under her touch while carving the image of Setsuna's body into her own mind. She eventually kissed Setsuna, making it clear that she was at her limit and she couldn't wait any longer. Teruki lowered to her neck first then revisited all of those soft spots she had discovered earlier, sucking, licking, and biting all the way. It drove Setsuna crazy. She couldn't stop moaning and repeating Teruki's name again and again._

_One last time, the fire wizard asked if she was ready. The smaller woman managed to say a weak 'yes' between all her moans. So, Teruki positioned herself between her legs and started to lick. Immediately, Setsuna felt a wave of pleasure in her body. She often dreamed of Teruki making love to her, but it was nothing compared to what she was experiencing right now. She tightly held the sheets under her, her knuckles becoming white. She could feel waves of pleasure one after the other. Her moans were louder, which was arousing Teruki. Suddenly, Setsuna felt nothing. Teruki had stopped. But when she was going to groan to show her frustration, she felt a deeper pressure in her, and not a second after, Teruki's lips were on hers. Immediately, the tanned woman put her arms around Teruki's neck, one hand tightly holding dark black hair and the other caressing her back._

_"Oh god…T…Teruki." Setsuna managed to say between kisses and moans._

_If Teruki's tongue was making her crazy, it was another world with her fingers. Instinctively, Setsuna moved her hips at the same pace, pleasure building inside her body._

_"Suna…" Teruki whispered._

_"Ruki…don't stop."_

_Teruki smiled. She loved Setsuna's voice. She loved how she said her name between moans and screams of pleasure, how she begged her to go deeper and faster. Naturally she did as she was told and eventually she could hear only monosyllabic sounds coming from Setsuna. Teruki wanted to make the pleasure last. But she knew that the woman beneath her was at her limit. Eventually, the guardian of time reached her climax, her scream filling the room. After a moment, while Setsuna was breathlessly trying to recover, Teruki laughed._

_"We are lucky that my neighbors are not here tonight, we would have woken them up"_

_Setsuna blushed, but pouted just after. "I didn't hear you complain about it."_

_"I'm not complaining. On the contrary, it means that you can scream as loud as you want. I love your voice."_

_Setsuna's blush deepened at the comment; she was completely embarrassed._

_"It's time for the round two." Teruki smirked._

They had done it two more times. Now Setsuna was sore and tired. But she couldn't resolve herself in sleeping, not when Teruki was in front of her, sleeping but also holding her in her arms. The guardian of time couldn't believe what had happened tonight. In one night she had her heart broken, was nearly raped then saved by Teruki. She learned that Teruki was single and not a minute after they were on the bed making love. In one night, she felt all her accumulated problems vanishing in the air.

Setsuna watched Teruki sleeping peacefully. It was her turn to study the other's body and the first thing she studied was her scars. She started with the one crossing her left shoulder, the first one she discovered when they were at the Onsen. In fact, it was the most visible one for the moment and it was the biggest. Setsuna was amazed to see Teruki alive with such a wound on her. Curious, she wanted to touch the scar, to feel it under her fingers, but hesitated to do so. Her hand came close to it.

"Go ahead."

Setsuna jumped when she heard Teruki's voice. The latter was awake, but she didn't move.

"I'm sorry, Ruki…I…"

"Don't worry about it. You can touch it if you want. I don't mind."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, you can touch me whenever you want to."

Setsuna blushed, not oblivious to Teruki's hidden comment. But she eventually touched Teruki's scar. It was rough in comparison to her smooth skin. But it was not unpleasant. With her fingers, Setsuna traced the scar, touching it slightly. Suddenly she stopped when she felt Teruki shivering.

"Does it hurt?" The tanned woman asked worriedly. "I'm sorry…"

"No, no it's okay. It is just quite sensitive, and I'm not used to people touching it like this."

"How did you get these scars? I meant, you said you were protecting your sister. But how, exactly?"

"Well…" Teruki moved so she was on her back, looking at the ceiling, to be more comfortable. Setsuna moved as well so she was now on top of Teruki. The latter stared at her surprised, but eventually smile as she put her arms around her lover's waist.

"You must know that Tora and I were not so close when we were young."

"Why?"

"Being twins, people tend to think that we are really alike not only in appearance but also in behavior. And unfortunately it was not the case for us. Tora was the calm and collected girl, I was the wild one. Being born just before my sister, I was considered like the eldest daughter and had to show the example. But in the end, people were comparing me and my sister, saying I should be more like her and be more mature. I hated that. And because of that, I began to hate my sister, thinking she was the source of my problems. Tora had the same thoughts about me, thinking I was a nuisance or something like that."

"Then what happened?"

"One day, when we were 13, I decided to go to the forest near our house. I wanted some adventures and action. Tora followed me to bring me back home. But I didn't listen to her. Eventually we met a beast in the forest. It tried to hurt Tora. And even if I hated her, I couldn't let her get hurt and so I ran in front of her to stop the beast, and thus all these scars."

Setsuna tensed, showing a worried expression. Teruki only smiled, as she caressed Setsuna's back to relax her.

"We succeed in killing the beast, but I was too wounded to move. I told Tora to leave the forest, because there might be more animals. But she stayed by my side, saying that she couldn't leave her sister dying here. Soon our parents found us and brought us back home. It took me almost 3 months to recover, and during all that time I had to stay on my bed. Tora stayed by my side again. During those moments, I realized that Tora was nearly killed because of me. I thought that maybe I was a nuisance for her and that everything was in fact my fault.

"Don't say such a thing…" Setsuna said.

Teruki laughed. "Tora said the same thing to me. She admitted after that she hated me because she was jealous of me. Can you believe that? Jealous of me! I, the wild and immature tomboy of the family! She said she envied my wild life, free from all the etiquettes and fake appearances we had to put in front of the others. So we talked about everything we were hiding inside us. Eventually, little by little we were became each other's best of friends in the world. Since that day, I promised myself that I will do everything to make my sister happy, even giving up everything for her. And I did, she is now taking care of the business of the family, and is loved by everyone."

"I would love to meet her." Setsuna stated.

"Maybe one day, when she visits Japan."

"Good, I would like to meet the person who contributes in making you the most perfect woman I have ever met."

"Thanks for your praised words." Teruki laughed.

"I'm serious; I still can't believe that you were single all this time."

"I met a lot of girls in the past. But no one stayed with me." Teruki frowned deep in thoughts.

Setsuna noticed it, and wondered what the problem was. "Why wouldn't they?"

"Because when they eventually see my body, they always found some sort of excuse to leave. Because they couldn't stay with someone with such an imperfect body." The mathematician forced a laugh. "Thus when you left the Onsen, I thought it was because of my body. I'll never regret saving Tora, but sometimes, I can't take it anymore…I…"

Suddenly, Teruki felt two hands on her face. She looked at Setsuna.

"Listen to me. I would never leave you because of your body. Understood? I don't care if you only have one arm or one eye, I will still love you. I fell in love with what you are first, not what you look like." Setsuna seriously stated. She didn't mean to be harsh with her words but she just wanted to be clear. "I love you."

Teruki smiled. "You know that it is the first time you properly said that you love me?"

"Then I'll say it again and again. I love you, I love you and I love you."

The taller woman laughed, she was touched by her lover's behavior. She kissed her, and Setsuna kissed her back.

After a moment, Setsuna spoke. "How did your parents react when they discovered your liking for women?"

"They said nothing. In fact, they had known my preference for a long time. They just waited for me to tell them. But they did not predict, and I didn't either, that Tora was the first to present Tsuya to us." Teruki laughed.

"Tsuya?" Setsuna asked quite lost.

"My sister-in-law."

"Oh!" The tanned woman replied in sudden realization.

"My parents loved Tsuya. I'm sure they would have loved you also."

"Loved? ...Oh my god! Ruki, I didn't know!"

"Don't worry; what is in the past, stays in the past. I'm just sad they died before I could present to them the woman I love. You."

"Ruki…"

"I love you Suna."

"I love you too, Ruki."

Both women smiled. Suddenly, Setsuna kissed Teruki before she started kissing her scars. The simple action was enough to draw a moan from the fire wizard.

"Suna…"

"I think it's my turn to be on top now." Setsuna grinned before resuming her task.

-X-

Teruki and Setsuna woke up several hours later because of a loud knocking at the front door. Setsuna groaned, trying to hide her head in Teruki's neck to not hear the sound anymore. Teruki smiled at Setsuna's behavior.

"I need to see who it is." She said.

"Let them knock. They will eventually leave, whoever he or she might be." The guardian of time groaned.

"It may be important." Then Teruki got up and looked for a pair of boxers and a T-shirt. Setsuna, still in the bed and tangled in the sheets, watched her.

"Did I say that you have the most perfect butt in the universe?" Setsuna smirked.

"Thanks, and I can say that you have the most exquisite boobs I have ever touched." Teruki replied, laughing.

Shortly after, Teruki was at the front door; she opened it and stared at Michiru and Haruka, who were standing before her. They looked really worried.

"Haruka? Michiru? Why are you here?"

"Sorry to come over like this, but have you seen Setsuna? We had an argument yesterday, and she didn't come home this morning." Michiru explained, fear in her eyes.

"Well…" Teruki tried to find the right words to explain the situation.

"Maybe you saw her and…Wait!" Haruka stopped as she looked at the floor.

"Ruka?"

"I recognize those shoes."

Teruki and Michiru looked at where Haruka was pointing her finger and saw black leather boots at the entrance.

"They're Setsuna's." Haruka stated like it was obvious.

Both the senshi of wind and the senshi of ocean stared at Teruki who was really embarrassed right now.

"No way!" Both lovers exclaimed. They immediately entered in the apartment. After a glimpse of the surroundings, they spotted the bedroom and went inside. They never thought of finding Setsuna with Teruki in her bedroom but, most of all, they never thought of finding her naked and tangled in Teruki's sheets. Setsuna stared at them scared, embarrassed, ashamed or whatever feeling that could fit the situation.

"Haruka…Michiru…"

"Sorry Suna, they noticed your boots at the entrance." Teruki sheepishly said behind them.

At this point, Haruka was utterly speechless and her mouth wide open. Michiru was the one who recovered first and tried to speak.

"Well, now we know where you are Setsuna. And I think you are in good hands. We don't need to worry anymore. So we are just going to leave you you alone with Teruki, aren't we Haruka?"

"…"

"Ruka?"

But the blonde racer was still in shock, her mouth still wide open. Eventually Michiru dragged her lover outside of the apartment after saying a good bye to Teruki and Setsuna.

"Oh my god." Setsuna said.

"Suna?"

"That was the most embarrassing moment in my life!"

"At least they were worried about you."

Setsuna stayed silent then looked at Teruki. She smiled. "You're right. Maybe I should apologize to them later, even thought when I go back home, they won't stop asking me questions."

"Ha ha! Indeed they won't!"

Both women laughed.

-X-

Mia really needed to go to the bathroom, and she needed it right now. Hopefully, most of the students were in class studying and she was lucky enough to have an hour of free time between two courses. So she decided to go in the nearest bathroom, which was next to the library. But as she opened the door, she heard some strange noises in one of the stalls.

'Oh great!' Mia thought.

It was not rare to find couples enjoying themselves on campus. Mia encountered a few of them and it amused her to see the expression of both students as they realized they were a little bit too loud and attracted too much attention. But this time, it was her time to blush as she heard the moans in the bathroom and recognized the voices.

"Oh yes, Ruki! ... Harder…"

"Suna…"

"Faster…Yes! Like that!"

Mia was utterly speechless. Among all the students in Todai, she never imagined Setsuna, the most composed and serious woman she had ever met, having some fun with someone in the bathrooms of the school. 'Oh gosh, what is happening here?!' She thought. As the moans were getting louder, Mia decided to leave to let them have some privacy, and most of all to see if no one could hear them. In the corridor, her eyes widened as she noticed two girls who were walking towards her direction.

"Oh, sorry, the bathrooms are out of order." The young girl quickly said trying to hide her embarrassment and blush.

Both girls looked at Mia. "Oh okay then, we will take another one. Thanks for the info." One of them said before they left.

Mia sighed in relief, but her blush immediately came back when she heard Setsuna through the door.

"Oh god Ruki!'

Eventually, the moans stopped and only the sounds of clothes being readjusted were heard. Thinking that it was the sign they were fully dressed, Mia entered the bathroom. A grin appeared on her face as she saw Teruki next to Setsuna, who was trying to tame her messy hair.

"Mia!" Both woman exclaimed, a blush appearing on both their faces.

"You know…next time you are horny, you should visit this super invention called the love hotel. At least, you won't be disturbed by some people who want to use the bathroom…like me!"

"Sorry… we… well…" Setsuna was doing the hard task of explaining herself. But she was interrupted by Mia's laugh.

"It is okay" She said between laugh. "I'm just happy right now to see you with someone."

"Thanks Mia." The tanned woman smiled.

"Now I'm going to use the bathroom, because I can't wait anymore!" Teruki and Setsuna laughed and left the bathroom. But just before closing the door, Teruki was stopped by Mia. "Just to know, which toilet were you in?"

"Err…The second to the left. Why?"

"Just to know so I won't use it. Come on, it would really awkward."

Teruki just sweat dropped.

-X-

"Okay we will be there. Yes, I will inform her also." Haruka hung up the phone. She then walked back to the dining room, where her family and Teruki were eating.

"Who was it?" Michiru asked curiously.

"It was Odango. She invited us for Christmas Eve at Rei's house. You are also invited Teruki by the way."

"I am?" The said Teruki asked, surprised.

"Of course, you belong to the family now." Haruka smiled.

"I'm not sure. I met everyone, but they don't know me well. I don't want to disturb everyone, since Christmas must be really important for you." In reality, Teruki didn't know what Christmas really was. She discovered this celebration only recently when she was downtown buying some art supplies. She did some research. If she understood well, Christmas was a religious celebration for the western people and more a marketing one in Japan. On this day, people would give presents to their friends and the ones they love. Teruki was quite lost. On her planet, there was a celebration close to Christmas, but the present was usually given only on birthdays.

"No, don't worry; Christmas is just a good occasion for us to be together." Michiru informed. "So we are more than happy that you'll be here with us. And I'm sure that Setsuna would be really sad to celebrate Christmas alone."

Teruki's widened at the sudden realization. She looked at her lover next to her. Setsuna ate as if she didn't hear anything. But the light blush on her cheeks betrayed her.

"You don't have to come, if you don't want to. I won't force you." The time guardian eventually said, not looking at Teruki.

"Do you want me to come?" Teruki asked.

"I would lie if I say no."

Teruki genuinely smiled, before kissing Setsuna's forehead. "You know that you're really cute when you're like this?" The fire wizard grinned, which made Setsuna blush more. "Okay I'm coming. It should be fun."

Everyone smiled before resuming eating.

-X-

"That was one of the best nights of my life!" Teruki stated, looking at the snow falling from the sky.

She was with Setsuna in one of the main rooms of Hikawa shrine. They were sitting on the tatamis and before them the shoji doors were wide open. The garden outside was entirely white and glowing under the moonlight. Both women were alone, covered by a thick blanket, and were admiring the view.

As promised, Teruki arrived with Setsuna and her family at Rei's home for Christmas Eve. But what she didn't expect as her foot reached the last step of the stair at the entrance was the snowball smashing at her face. Setsuna by her side, quite used by it, dodge another snowball which hit Haruka instead. Like every year, the Inner senshi were doing their ancestral snowball battle. Hotaru and Haruka were already quickly throwing snowballs at their opponents. Michiru was behind them, preparing their ammunition for the battle. Teruki participated also, having fun. But the surprise came when Setsuna, who was normally always watching the snowball battle safely in the shrine, participated in the game too. She was quite dangerous, in fact. Being the guardian of time, it seemed that she knew where the snowballs were coming and where to be to avoid them. The match lasted an hour, before Makoto, who had to quit earlier, announced that the dinner was ready. It was a sumptuous dinner. Like always, Usagi was eating everything in one second, but this time, Teruki was catching up her pace. Fortunately, Makoto saw this coming, and prepare the double of the habitual portions.

After dinner, it was party time. Everyone was laughing and enjoying the evening. It started with a karaoke launched by Minako. Everyone was singing all kind of songs to the most romantic to the craziest ones. Teruki suddenly noticed Hotaru's grim mood.

"Are you alright little one?" She eventually asked.

"Yes. I am." Hotaru simply answered, absent.

"You don't seem so. What is troubling you?"

"Well…Chibi-Usa couldn't come today, she had to go back home. I feel a little bit lonely."

Teruki watched Hotaru sigh. She was sure of one thing; Christmas was a day of joy and happiness. But the little girl in front of her was not at all enjoying this day. Suddenly Teruki got an idea. She got up and went toward Minako, who was encouraging Rei in singing a song.

"Minako-chan?"

"Yes, Teru-chan?"

"Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Of course." Silently, they went in the kitchen alone. "So what do you want to talk about?" Minako asked.

"Well, Hotaru seems a little bit down today. So I wanted to do something for her. Since right now we are doing karaoke, I wondered if it would be possible to sing this for her."

While she was talking, Teruki took her phone and looked for a video on it. When she found it, she showed it at Minako. The latter was quite skeptic at first, but she suddenly burst in laughter.

"Oh god, what was this video?"

"Something I found on the net, I'm sure it will lighten Hotaru's mood, don't you think?"

"She will die of laughter!"

Both women laughed, but they were interrupted by Setsuna who entered the kitchen also, suspicious of what they were up to. She had to admit that she became really protective of Teruki and was easily jealous of other girls sometimes. After all, she was not used to being with someone. It was her first time and she was really insecure.

"Setsuna-san!" Minako exclaimed. "Good, you'll be the lead singer with Teruki!"

"What?" Teruki's eyes widened. "Why me? You sing better than me! It should be you with Rei-chan."

"Even if you don't know how much I want to sing it with Rei-chan, you are the one who proposed the song. So it's normal that you should sing it with Setsuna."

"May I know what are you talking about?" Setsuna finally entered in the conversation.

Both grinning, Minako and Teruki showed the video to Setsuna, who couldn't stop laughing as well. Teruki explained her it was for Hotaru and Setsuna gladly accepted to sing, even if she knew she would be totally ridiculous. Minako discretely asked the others to help them, without Hotaru noticing anything. It almost failed as Haruka suddenly shouted. "There's no way I'm doing this!" Luckily, Mamoru had the reflex to start singing with Usagi to cover up the voices. And after several minutes of persuasion from Michiru, Haruka accepted to sing also.

Eventually after almost an hour of preparation, they were ready. Hotaru was still in the living room, only halfway listening Ami and Makoto singing a love song. She didn't even notice both women finishing their song and the others rearranging the room until the lights were turned off. Hotaru snapped out of her thoughts and wondered what was happening. Eventually, the lights came back, and Hotaru became speechless. In front of her, all the equipment for the karaoke had been moved in the back on the room, so there was enough room to create a scene. Suddenly music started, and Teruki appeared on the "scene", microphone in the hand, looking serious. But the seriousness totally disappeared as she started singing.

_A crimson rose is the weapon of a burning heart_

_It'll reach into your heart... Miracle Telepathy_

Suddenly, Setsuna appeared in front of Teruki, a microphone also in the hand and started singing also.

_What a handsome guy!_

Teruki continued before Setsuna replied just after.

_The scent of a rose is the secret behind a faraway memory_

_I'll make you remember that day of Destiny_

_Somehow.. I know... this scent... why?_

_I'm sure of it... but from where?_

_The flower petals fly in confusion_

_Binding the magic powers of evil_

All of sudden, Hotaru couldn't suppress a laugh when she saw Rei-chan and her Haruka-papa tiptoeing in the opposite direction behind Setsuna and Teruki, imitating some kind of butterfly. Soon after, they kneeled and sang also.

_A, nani kore shibireru (What? We've gone numb!)_

_Obstinate ugliness will..._

_...be made beautiful_

Hotaru laughed again as she noticed her Michiru-mama, Ami-chan and Mamoru dancing in the beat of the music behind. But the icing on the cake was Makoto, Minako and Usagi who appeared on the scene to sing together.

_Enchanting, enchanting_

Eventually Teruki sang alone.

_A crimson rose, if showered upon, anyone..._

_...would find themselves intoxicated by the sweet poison. Romeo and Juliette_

shibireru shibireru (numb numb)

Minako, Usagi and Makoto sang one last time, acting like they were really numb. Finally Teruki finished the song, with Setsuna in her arms.

_Invite the fragrance of love in_

_Keep it in your body and heart, dance, dance_

_Everyone dance. Become as a rose, dance, dance!_

Immediately, Hotaru got up to clap in her hands, laughing and forgetting every sad memory from her mind.

"Encore!"

After this show, Hotaru was smiling again, and the others decided to keep singing, except Teruki and Setsuna who decided to have some time alone in one of the room of the shrine.

"That was really sweet." Setsuna smiled.

"What was really sweet?" Teruki asked.

"What you did for Hotaru. It was really sweet."

"It was the least I can do for your daughter." Teruki kissed Setsuna on the cheek, which made the guardian of time's smile widen.

"I know we must normally wait for the others. But I want to give you my present now." Setsuna stated, looking behind her to take a package. Teruki watched her, quite curious, and impatient to receive her present. She was acted like a child having her first Christmas. Well, she was in fact experiencing her first Christmas, so it was normal to be so excited. "There."

Gingerly, Teruki took the package and opened it. She stared at her present, speechless. It was a red and black jacket.

"Did you…" Teruki started.

"Yes, I entirely made it." Setsuna already replied. "It took me a while, but I was more than happy to finish it before today."

"Gosh, Suna, it's perfect!"

"I'm glad you like it."

"My, now I don't know how to give you your present."

"Is there a problem?"

"No no. It's just that I didn't make your present. You put a lot of effort in doing this jacket, and I, I only bought your present, even if it took almost three hours to find it."

"Don't be afraid. It's not the present that matter but the intention behind it."

Teruki genuinely smiled. She took her present, which was next to her also and gave it to Setsuna. The box was small, and neatly packed. When Setsuna opened the box, she couldn't believe her eyes. It was a pocket watch. What a coincidence. It was a simple one, not too big and not too ostentatious.

"You said recently that your watch ran out of battery." Teruki explained. "This pocket watch is an authentic one. You have to rewind it every day but it will never run out of battery."

Setsuna was still admiring the pocket watch, which was held by a silver chain.

"I hope you like it. When I bought it I thought it was the best idea ever. But now I'm not so sure about it…" Teruki whispered.

"It is the best present ever because you are the one who is giving it to me." Setsuna looked at Teruki. The latter could see all the happiness behind those dark crimson eyes and she couldn't but smile also. Slowly their heads got closer, before Teruki kissed the tanned woman. It started by a simple one, but quickly it became passionate, and not two seconds later, both woman put their present away before removing their own clothes. Feeling the cold on her skin, Teruki quickly closed the shoji door then looked back at Setsuna, who was waiting for her, her eyes dark.

"You know Suna?" Teruki said with a husky voice.

"Yes?" Setsuna replied.

"I'm still hungry."

"Then what are you waiting for? The dessert is ready." The guardian of time smirked.

"Bon appetit". The fire wizard grinned, before walking back to Setsuna.

-X-

Ami stopped in her tracks as she stood in front of the door, the others behind her froze also. It was time to open the presents, but not seeing Setsuna and Teruki, they decided to call them. But they were stopped by some moans and groans. Ami blushed and turned around to see the others and especially look at Rei.

"Er…" Ami tried to speak, quite speechless for once.

"Well, what do you want me to do? Stop them?" Rei asked.

"It's a shrine…so shouldn't you be a little furious?" Haruka wondered.

"Well it's not like it's the first time that some couple is desecrating the place, is it?" The miko looked at the blond racer, smirking.

Haruka and Michiru blushed also.

"Then…" Minako started to say before putting some music to hide the sounds. "Let's be happy for Setsuna. She has finally found someone for her, and let's open our presents!"

Everyone agreed.


End file.
